Chapter 12: Mutation.
But just then, the unexpected happened. The nine Dantians, which had been floating quietly around the Dantian Vortex, suddenly began to spin like a hurricane. The rotation was so fast that it generated an immense suction force. Before the Profound Old Ghost and Mu Chen could react, they were dragged into the vortex's range and instantly torn to shreds by the rapidly spinning Dantians.
"AHHH!!!"
Pain. A pain that bored deep into his bones. His Spiritual Power was crushed in an instant, and Mu Chen's consciousness snapped back to reality. He didn't even have a moment to adjust before an enormous suction force erupted from within his Dantian. At that same moment, the surrounding Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi began converging on him at a terrifying speed.
The Profound Old Ghost's figure reappeared inside the Extreme Spirit Pearl. Seeing the Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi from the Outer Realm frantically pouring in, his eyes snapped open, his purple pupils contracting sharply. 'What the hell is going on?'
He couldn't remain calm. Martial Disciples were unable to commune with Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi precisely because their bodies were too fragile. Primordial Qi that was gentle to a Martial Artist would undoubtedly be fatal to a Martial Disciple. For Mu Chen, whose body was even weaker than that of an ordinary cripple, surviving this was an impossibility.
Mu Chen did his utmost to suppress the urge to scream, but the surrounding Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi flooded into his body as if it were tangible. The Primordial Qi, which should have been like a gentle current, now felt like countless sharp blades burrowing into his pores. The pain, like ten thousand swords piercing his heart, made Mu Chen's pale face twist in agony.
As more and more Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi surged in, fine cracks began to appear on Mu Chen's exposed skin, like a parched landscape. Before long, crimson blood began to ooze from the cracks. In moments, he was covered in blood. At the same time, inside Mu Chen's body, the absorbed Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi was rapidly converging on his spinning Dantian from all directions.
Soon, countless fine cracks appeared on the surface of the nine black Dantians, looking as if they were about to shatter at any moment.
'Could my deductions for the reconstruction process have been wrong?' The Profound Old Ghost looked utterly dejected. His Spiritual Power had been torn apart by the Dantians, and now, his spirit was listless and his hair disheveled, a far cry from his usual spirited self. Though he held himself in high regard, he was ultimately just a fragile soul. Even with hundreds of thousands of years of experience, he had no idea how to save Mu Chen.
"ROAR!!!"
Mu Chen let out a low growl as his body began to convulse violently. Blood soaked through his clothes, and he looked utterly terrifying.
"BANG!"
A crisp crack echoed from within Mu Chen's body. The nine pitch-black Dantians shattered simultaneously. Mu Chen coughed up a mouthful of blood and passed out.
Seeing Mu Chen in the Outer Realm, hovering between life and death, the Profound Old Ghost trembled uncontrollably. 'This is impossible! Dammit! This is absolutely impossible! How could this happen?'
"HSSSS…"
Just then, however, Mu Chen's Dantian began to vibrate violently. A series of crisp sounds echoed from within. The Profound Old Ghost froze for a second, then his form flickered and vanished from the Extreme Spirit Pearl. The next moment, he reappeared inside Mu Chen's Dantian. The scene before him left even the vastly experienced Profound Old Ghost gaping in astonishment.
The massive amount of Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi that had just surged in was now gushing out from the Dantian Vortex. Guided by the vortex's motion, the white Primordial Qi split into nine streams, rapidly condensing in nine different directions. In the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, nine perfectly round, monochrome spheres appeared in this order: gold, green, blue, red, yellow, cyan, ice-blue, purple, and a mix of black and white. They completely replaced the original black Dantians and began to orbit the Dantian Vortex continuously.
"BUZZ…"
With a low hum, the nine colored Dantians suddenly began to rotate in an exceptionally profound pattern. Nine wisps of pure Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi drifted out from the nine Dantians and slowly flowed into Mu Chen's ruined meridians. Then, a strange scene unfolded: Mu Chen's meridians, which had been destroyed by the Primordial Qi, began to heal at a speed visible to the naked eye.
And that wasn't all. After the nine wisps of pure Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi finished repairing all the meridians in Mu Chen's body, they moved on into his bones. As for what they did there, the Profound Old Ghost couldn't tell. Although he could enter the Dantian in his spirit form, he couldn't see through bone to witness what was happening inside.
Meanwhile, Mu Chen's body in the Outer Realm was also undergoing a tremendous change. The countless cracks and dried bloodstains had vanished without a trace. In their place was a thick layer of a black, viscous substance coating his body, emitting a foul stench.
The Profound Old Ghost was overjoyed when he saw this. 'Well, I'll be damned. Scared the hell out of me for a second there. I never expected that a successful Dantian reconstruction would also absorb pure Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi to temper the body and expel impurities. Heh heh, not bad at all.'
The Profound Old Ghost chuckled. He had been worried it would take a long time to completely cleanse the impurities from Mu Chen's body, but now, it seemed his future plans could be moved up.
…
The next morning, at the crack of dawn, Mu Chen, who had been unconscious on his bed, slowly began to stir, his brow furrowing slightly. He looked around; the room was the same. He pressed a hand to his temple, which throbbed with a dull ache.
But now, as his senses fully returned, a foul stench drifted into his nostrils. Mu Chen froze and frowned, muttering, "What is that smell?"
The moment the words left his mouth, he felt a profound sense of unease from his body. Looking down, he saw that his hands were completely black. He rubbed them with his fingers and immediately realized this dried, black, solid substance was the source of the stench. Mu Chen was shocked. "What the hell is this stuff!?"
With that, an unbearable discomfort washed over him. He leaped out of bed, grabbed a change of clothes, and rushed out the door. It was still early, and besides a few guards on night watch, no one else was awake. Mu Chen jogged all the way to the rear mountain where there was a narrow stream. He immediately stripped off his blackened clothes and, completely naked, jumped into the water.
The stream wasn't deep, only reaching his chest. In the faint morning light, he caught his reflection in the water and broke out in a cold sweat. 'Is that even a person?' His entire body was pitch-black. If he hadn't woken up in his own room, he would have sworn he'd fallen into a mud pit.
After vigorously scrubbing his body four or five times, Mu Chen was certain the smell was gone. He got out and walked to the bank. A patch of green, grass-like plants grew there. They had long leaves, each with a white vein running down the center. This was a very common fragrant herb on the Extreme Martial Continent, typically used as the main ingredient for low-grade incense.
Mu Chen casually plucked a handful and kneaded them in his left hand. Soon, the herbs released a light, fresh scent. Mu Chen couldn't help but frown. 'I'm a guy, but I have to use something a girl would use, just in case.' Shaking his head, he quickly smeared the crushed herbal paste over his body, then rinsed off one more time in the stream before putting on his clothes and leaving the rear mountain.
WHOOSH… Mu Chen let out a light breath and suddenly felt his breathing was much clearer. He froze for a moment, then swung his arms. He wasn't sure if it was an illusion, but he felt his strength, speed, and even his constitution had all changed. It was then that he finally recalled the perilous events of the previous night.
'Master! Master!'
Mu Chen called out twice in his mind. A lazy voice then replied, "You brat, what's with all the shouting so early in the morning? Don't you know you put your master through hell yesterday?"
Mu Chen rubbed his nose. Of course, he remembered. The tearing force from his Dantian had shredded both him and the Profound Old Ghost. Just thinking about that moment sent a stabbing pain through his head.
"Uh… Master, the Dantian…" Mu Chen paused. Without the Profound Old Ghost's help, his Cultivation was so low he wasn't even a Martial Disciple, making Introspection impossible.
The Profound Old Ghost chuckled slyly. "Congratulations, you brat. You succeeded. Not only that, but your Nine Attributes Dantian also did you a huge favor."
"Really?" Hearing that the Dantian reconstruction was a success, Mu Chen was ecstatic. He laughed foolishly a couple of times before asking, "A huge favor? What kind of favor?"
The Profound Old Ghost asked, puzzled, "You mean you didn't notice anything different about yourself when you woke up this morning?"
Mu Chen paused. "I did. For some reason, there was a thick layer of black stuff hardened on my body, and it smelled awful. After I washed it all off, I found that my strength and speed are much greater than before, and things don't feel as strenuous. What the hell was that stuff?"
The Profound Old Ghost roared with laughter. "What was that stuff? Those were the impurities from inside your body! Tsk tsk, the amount of gunk built up over so many years is enough to surprise even me. It's a miracle you've even managed to stay alive this long with all that accumulated junk, tsk tsk, how strange!"
Mu Chen mentally rolled his eyes at the Profound Old Ghost, but the ghost was completely oblivious and continued, "So, your body is now even stronger than an ordinary person's. This will save you a lot of trouble when you begin your Cultivation in the future."
At these words, Mu Chen fell silent. Scenes from the past flashed before his eyes once more, followed by Mu Bingling's stunningly beautiful face. Then, the Profound Old Ghost's words echoed in his mind: 'The stronger you are, the safer she will be.' Mu Chen suddenly clenched his left hand into a tight fist and said with determination, "I must become strong. I will never let anyone trample on my dignity again. Master, when do I start my Cultivation?"
The Profound Old Ghost nodded to himself in approval and said gravely, "To become strong, you don't need exceptional talent. What you do need is unwavering conviction and perseverance beyond that of an ordinary person. Most importantly, you must have the heart of a true expert. Goal, diligence, and motivation—once you have these three, you will have taken the first step. As for Cultivation… make some brief preparations, and then leave this place."
Mu Chen was stunned. "Leave this place? Why?"
The Profound Old Ghost laughed. "A flower raised in a greenhouse can never become truly strong. You humans… you're still far too gentle with yourselves…"