In the dim night, the pitch-black sky, like a giant curtain, enveloped the World, with sparse stars twinkling in the sky.
The vast forest was silent, and a heart-pounding aura permeated the air.
Mu Chen, sitting cross-legged, opened his eyes. In such a dangerous place, he dared not sleep, always using meditation to replace sleep.
He could feel something approaching, but he couldn't pinpoint its exact location, probably a Spiritual Beast skilled in stealth and sneak attacks.
A figure slowly approached Mu Chen's back. It was on all fours, shrouded in a shadow, with a pair of eyes emitting a green glow.
The shadow moved, pouncing on Mu Chen with lightning speed. It opened its large mouth, bringing with it a fishy smelling wind.
However, just as it was about to touch Mu Chen, a light suddenly shone, outlining the pattern of a Spiritual Array.
"Heh, foolishly intruding into a Spiritual Array Master's prepared position is truly asking for death."
After the array formed, it transformed into bolts of lightning that struck down.
The shadow was split open, letting out a painful howl. It was terrified and wanted to escape, but Mu Chen didn't give it the chance.
"Spiritual Emperor Finger!"
He pointed a finger at the shadow's head, and Spiritual Power pierced through its skull, exploding inside its head.
The gloomy shadow receded, revealing the true appearance of the attacker: a black panther about ten feet long.
"So it was a Shadow Panther, no wonder it could evade my perception."
Mu Chen took out the Spiritual Beast Essence from the corpse, but before he could even warm it, a starlight flashed, carrying the Spiritual Beast Essence away and disappearing.
"This one is mine, oh." Amon said without ceremony.
Mu Chen watched the Spiritual Beast Essence enter her mouth, go down her throat, and finally disappear, and he said softly:
"This one is for you, then the next one will be for Nine Nether. She also helped me, so I can't take advantage of her."
"Alright, alright, I know." Amon waved her hand.
Due to Amon's existence, Nine Nether actively drew closer to Mu Chen, and the latter reciprocated by promising not to refine her.
Compared to Amon, Mu Chen was more willing to communicate with Nine Nether, because the former's every three sentences were about transactions. She often spoke halfway, stopped directly after piquing his interest, and if he wanted to know more, he had to pay, which made him very uncomfortable.
Under Amon's intimidation, Nine Nether dared not say another word. Mu Chen's righteous words on her behalf gave her a bit more recognition in her heart.
After collecting the Essence, Mu Chen looked at the Shadow Panther's corpse, a smile appearing on his face:
"Perfect, I'll use it to test it out. Let me see the effect of the Blood Emperor Body Tempering Art."
He had already roughly learned the first layer of the Blood Emperor Body Tempering Art, but had not yet actually used it.
He formed a palm-knife with his hand, and Spiritual Power surged, like a real knife, cutting off the Shadow Panther's head.
Warm blood gushed out, and he lifted the Shadow Panther's corpse, letting the blood gushing from its neck pour onto his head.
The fresh blood flowed down his body, and at the same time, he began to circulate his cultivation technique.
Traces of blood energy from various parts of his body integrated into his Spiritual Power, and then flowed throughout his entire body along with the circulation of Spiritual Power.
The blood energy separated from the Spiritual Power and integrated into various parts of his body. A warmth emerged, and Mu Chen could feel a slight enhancement in his physique.
Since the Shadow Panther's level was not high, the improvement not being obvious did not surprise Mu Chen.
Or rather, just bathing in the blood of a Shadow Panther made him clearly feel his body strengthen, which already proved the extraordinary nature of the Blood Emperor Body Tempering Art.
"It truly lives up to being the cultivation technique created by that Soul Hall Master, the effect is really good." Mu Chen sighed.
"Oh? Blood Emperor Body Tempering Art? Where did you learn this Spiritual Art?"
A slight voice of doubt sounded from a tree not far away.
"Who?" Mu Chen was startled. He didn't expect someone to have unknowingly approached so close to him without him realizing it.
A tall and beautiful figure jumped down from the tree.
"It's you?" Mu Chen recognized her; it was the black-haired girl on the bluestone platform.
The black-haired girl gazed at Mu Chen with her blood-red eyes and said softly, "Whose family are you from? The Soul Clan or the Soul Hall?"
"Soul Clan? Soul Hall?" Mu Chen frowned. He had heard of the Soul Hall, a super force led by Hun Tiandi, but he had never heard of the Soul Clan.
He pondered his words for a moment and replied, "Sorry, miss, I don't know anything about the Soul Clan. I obtained this Spiritual Art by chance."
As he said this, he also frantically called out to Amon in his heart: "Hey, you scoundrel, the Spiritual Art you gave me just caused trouble as soon as I used it. Is it from an improper source?"
"Ah? Just use it with confidence. I personally got it from Hun Tiandi, how could it be from an improper source?" Amon patted her chest, guaranteeing it with a clear conscience.
"Obtained by chance?" The black-haired girl raised an eyebrow, "Who are you?"
Mu Chen wasn't too keen on her icy tone and said in a low voice, "Before asking others, aren't you going to introduce yourself, miss?"
"My name is Hun Hunsheng."
"Hun?" Mu Chen showed a thoughtful expression, "The Hun of Hun Tiandi?"
"No, the Hun of the Soul Clan." Hun Hunsheng replied, "It's your turn."
"My name is Mu Chen, just an ordinary student from a small place."
"Mu Chen? The Spiritual Road's 'Blood Calamity Bringer'?"
A hint of surprise flashed in Hun Hunsheng's eyes, and then she said:
"The improvement of the Blood Emperor Body Tempering Art requires bathing in fresh blood. You'd best practice it to the point where it becomes instinctual.
"Only then can you circulate it during combat while also circulating other Spiritual Arts. Each time you kill an enemy, it can not only strengthen your own body but also replenish your consumption.
"Blood of the same quality, the blood of enemies harvested during battle has a slightly better effect… Also, you can purchase the essence blood of powerful Spiritual Beasts; this is also a way to increase your cultivation speed."
Mu Chen was somewhat surprised. He thought the other party was here to cause trouble, but he didn't expect her to even tell him some small tips.
"Miss, your family should have a significant connection to this Spiritual Art, right? Is it okay to let me cultivate it like this?" Mu Chen couldn't help but ask.
Hun Hunsheng looked a bit strange: "Are you saying I should make you choose between 'crippling your cultivation' and 'death'? I can fulfill your wish."
"No, no, no, I was just curious." Mu Chen took a step back, waving his hands repeatedly.
Hun Hunsheng suddenly smiled brightly:
"If you've practiced it, you've practiced it. There's nothing wrong with it being spread outside anyway; there's a way to exchange for this Spiritual Art in the Northern Heavens Spiritual Academy."
"Ah?" Mu Chen was stunned again.
Northern Heavens Spiritual Academy, Mr. Hun… A flash of inspiration struck him, and he said, "Is the Northern Heavens Spiritual Academy related to the Soul Clan? Is the Soul Clan that mysterious force supporting the Northern Heavens Spiritual Academy from behind?"
"Something like that." Hun Hunsheng nodded, and then said, "Want to go together?"
Mu Chen politely declined, "My strength is low, I'm afraid I'll drag you down, miss."
"It's fine, I'll carry you!" Hun Hunsheng waved her hand indifferently, saying with full confidence.
Mu Chen felt a sense of vigilance rise within him and asked, "This should only be our second meeting, right?"
Hun Hunsheng smiled and said, "You don't need to be so vigilant. If I wanted to harm you, your vigilance would be useless… I'm not interested in snatching your mark, I just want you to help me with a favor."
"What favor?"
"Take me to Bei Cang Hall. I have a bad sense of direction."
Mu Chen: "…"
This reason left him quite speechless, but Hun Hunsheng's expression didn't seem feigned.
"You can just find anyone to take you there."
"No, no, even if it's just a temporary journey together, I don't want to be with an ugly person. A handsome guy is at least pleasing to the eye." Hun Hunsheng shook her head.
Mu Chen rubbed his nose, "Then should I feel honored…?"
"Hehe, that's right! Serve this young lady well, and after you enter the Northern Heavens Spiritual Academy, I'll cover you! Let me tell you, my father holds a position in the Northern Heavens Spiritual Academy, and he's even the Deputy Dean of the Northern Heavens Spiritual Academy!"
Deputy Dean of the Northern Heavens Spiritual Academy! Mu Chen's pupils constricted, feeling a hint of surprise.
To him now, the Northern Heavens Spiritual Academy was definitely a behemoth, and the Deputy Dean of the Northern Heavens Spiritual Academy was, of course, a person of high status and power. With such a background, one could truly walk sideways in the academy!
So, the two agreed to travel together.
Mu Chen communicated with Amon in his mind:
"Amon, do you know about the Soul Clan? What is the relationship between the Soul Clan and the Soul Hall? Why did Hun Hunsheng say her Hun is not Hun Tiandi's Hun, but the Soul Clan's Hun? What is the difference between the two?"
Amon, like an elf, glided around a mandala flower, finally resting on a petal and saying:
"Hun Tiandi was the previous clan leader of the Soul Clan. Because he made a small Error, he was expelled from the Soul Clan by the current clan leader."
Mu Chen was somewhat puzzled: "Is the Soul Clan so rigid? They expelled someone as exceptionally talented as Hun Tiandi for a small Error?"
Amon shrugged, not explaining further.
Hun Hunsheng walked to the Shadow Panther's corpse, condensed a blood-colored long knife in her hand, and with a swish, cut off its front leg.
"This front leg is mine, you don't mind, do you?"
Mu Chen held out his palm: "Please help yourself."
Hun Hunsheng picked up a pile of firewood, clapped her hand, ignited it with Spiritual Power, and then sharpened a wooden stick to skewer the peeled front leg, sticking it into the ground near the campfire.
Then she sat on a rock, her eyes fixed on the Shadow Panther's front leg, watching it turn charred black from the flames.
Hun Hunsheng's face also darkened as the roasted meat turned black.
Mu Chen chuckled, "Let me do it."
He used his dagger to cut two pieces of meat with a good balance of lean and fat, skewered them with a wooden stick, and inserted them diagonally at the edge of the campfire, choosing an appropriate distance so that they would roast to a crispy crust without being undercooked inside.
The edges of the meat gradually curled up, and the fat turned into glistening oil droplets, making Hun Hunsheng's eyes stare blankly.
When the meat was almost done, she eagerly took out a pile of bottles and jars from her spatial ring and placed them in front of Mu Chen.
Mu Chen was slightly startled, then showed a light smile: "You're quite well-prepared."
After sprinkling the seasonings, Hun Hunsheng happily took a large skewer of roasted meat and began to eat. As she ate, she mumbled indistinctly:
"I've entered similar secret realms before. Usually, someone would help me with this, but my two playmates who often came with me entered the academy a year earlier than me, so I'm the only one left…
"After entering the academy, I'll introduce them to you. With your 'Blood Calamity Bringer' style of doing things, you should get along very well with them."
"Blood Calamity Bringer…" Mu Chen looked at the campfire, recalling what happened in the Spiritual Road, a smile on his face: "What kind of style do you think I have?"
Hun Hunsheng swallowed a mouthful of roasted meat and answered without hesitation: "Killing without batting an eye!"
"Then you still dare to travel with me?"
"I also kill without batting an eye."
Mu Chen thought she was joking, so he just smiled and said nothing more.