Chapter 15: The Clan Competition
Mu Chen, of course, had no idea how impolite he was being. When Mu Bingling noticed him staring blankly at her, completely lost in a daze, a blush crept onto her cheeks. She chided him playfully, "Mu Chen, you can't just stare at people like that!"
Still lost in his thoughts, Mu Chen was quickly snapped back to reality by Mu Bingling's voice. He awkwardly averted his gaze, his face bright red. "I got carried away... I didn't mean to…"
"Heh, you dummy." Mu Bingling had been embarrassed too, but seeing Mu Chen stammer with such a flushed face made her cover her mouth and giggle.
"Alright, I won't tease you anymore. Let's hurry. The arena for this year's Clan Competition is in Luofeng City Square, and I hear the whole city will be there to watch." Without giving Mu Chen a chance to respond, Mu Bingling grabbed his hand and ran toward the front courtyard.
As Mu Bingling pulled him along, Mu Chen gave a wry smile and rubbed his nose. But a moment later, he made a startling discovery. Mu Bingling's speed had changed. Though he hadn't yet entered the Martial Dao, he could clearly sense the difference between now and before. This was not the kind of sustained Explosive Power a Fifth-Ring Martial Disciple could possess.
'What are you thinking about, kid?' the Profound Old Ghost's voice suddenly cut in. 'A Fifth-Ring Martial Disciple?'
Mu Chen almost blurted out his reply. Snapping his mouth shut, he answered in his mind, 'Could you please give me a warning next time? You're always just popping up. Don't you ever get tired of it?'
'I've told you many times, I'm not a person,' the Profound Old Ghost's voice replied, tinged with exasperation. 'I just wanted to tell you, kid, that you need to hurry up and start your cultivation as a Martial Artist. Otherwise, you're going to be left in the dust by that little girl beside you.'
Mu Chen was momentarily stunned and confused. The Profound Old Ghost huffed. 'I told you not to underestimate her. She's a thousand times stronger than that so-called genius of your Mu Family.'
'Then what level is she now?' Mu Chen asked instinctively.
'Hehe, you wanna know?' the Profound Old Ghost chuckled.
Mu Chen nodded eagerly.
'I'm not gonna tell you.'
'...'
Mu Chen had the sudden, intense urge to drag the Profound Old Ghost out of the Extreme Spirit Pearl and smash him on the ground a few hundred times. Seeing Mu Chen go silent, the old ghost sounded a little dejected. 'You're not really mad, are you? Over something like that?'
Mu Chen: '...'
'Sigh... How did I end up with such a petty disciple? You don't have an ounce of your master's magnanimity! Fine, fine, I'll tell you.'
'I'm not interested anymore.'
Profound Old Ghost: '...'
'Alright, you brat, stop sulking,' the old ghost said, changing tactics. If coaxing didn't work, it was time to offer a sweet deal. 'How about this? I'll teach you a Combat Skill. How does that sound?'
'Huh? A Combat Skill?'
Mu Chen's eyes lit up. This was a priceless opportunity! Combat Skills were as renowned as Cultivation Techniques and shared the same grading system: White Tier, Yellow Tier, Profound Tier, Earth Tier, and Celestial Tier. A powerful Combat Skill could give you an absolute advantage against opponents of the same level. If the skill's Grade was high enough, even Tier Jumping to defeat a stronger foe wasn't impossible. The Mu Family had Combat Skills, but they were all of very low grade; the best among them was merely a Yellow Rank Lower Grade.
But despite the incredible temptation, Mu Chen feigned indifference. "It's probably garbage."
'He'd put on this whole act; if he didn't use this chance to properly fleece the old bastard, it would be a total waste.'
The Profound Old Ghost had expected Mu Chen to be ecstatic and start groveling, so he was completely caught off guard by the response. He flew into a rage. 'You brat! Would anything I set my sights on be garbage? That thing is from a hundred thousand years ago! Hmph... Oh? Looks like you've arrived. Never mind. We'll talk about it tomorrow.'
After those words, the Profound Old Ghost went silent. But Mu Chen wasn't discouraged in the slightest. 'He brought it up,' he thought, 'so that Combat Skill is as good as mine.'
"Mu Chen, Mu Chen! Why are you spacing out again?" Mu Bingling waved her slender hand in front of his face. Seeing that he had drifted off again, she asked with concern, "Are you feeling unwell?"
Her voice brought Mu Chen back to his senses. "Huh?" he mumbled, then quickly added, "No, I was just thinking. Don't worry about me. I'm feeling great."
As if to prove his point, he thumped his chest vigorously.
Mu Bingling quickly stopped him, finally convinced. If he kept thumping his chest like that, he was going to hurt himself for real.
Now fully present, Mu Chen glanced around and found they had reached the front courtyard. The training ground was already packed with Mu Family Disciples. He and Mu Bingling had arrived just in the nick of time. When many of the disciples saw their goddess holding Mu Chen's hand, their eyes burned with jealousy. However, Mu Chen and Mu Bingling both casually ignored the glares, taking their places in the Mu Family's ranks under countless resentful stares. Unseen by all, a gaze as cold and sinister as a Poisonous Snake locked firmly onto Mu Chen.
'Hmph. Sooner or later, you'll be mine,' the owner of the gaze muttered. It was none other than Mu Rongxuan, whom Mu Chen hadn't seen in six months. He had shot up in height again; though only thirteen, he looked fifteen and stood 1.65 meters tall. He was also extraordinarily handsome, drawing looks of adoration from many of the young women of the Mu Family.
"Everyone, quiet down. Is everyone here?" Patriarch Mu Gutian, standing at the very front, called out to the steward, Elder Chang, who was beside him. Elder Chang wore a gray robe and appeared to be in his forties or fifties, with a capable air about him. Mu Chen had a decent impression of the man, as he was one of the few people who had never insulted him.
Behind Mu Gutian, the three Mu Family Elders meditated with their eyes closed, projecting an air of sanctimonious piety. Upon hearing the Patriarch's question, Elder Chang glanced at Mu Chen and Mu Bingling before bowing. "Patriarch, all of the Mu Family Disciples are here."
Mu Gutian nodded calmly. "Good. Then lead the children over. We'll go on ahead."
With a sound of assent, Elder Chang led the group toward Luofeng City Square. Not that they needed a guide—everyone knew the way. It was simply more imposing to move as one vast, mighty procession.
Before long, Mu Chen and the other disciples arrived at Luofeng Square. A large arena now stood in the once-empty plaza, surrounded by numerous guards. A dignified, square-jawed middle-aged man approached them with a smile. "Patriarch Mu! Welcome. Please, come take your seat."
Seeing this man, Mu Gutian quickly returned the greeting with a clasped-fist salute and a smile. "City Lord Feng, we've troubled you."
This man was Fengze, the Lord of Luofeng City. He waved his hand dismissively. "Not at all. It's for the sake of our city's talented youth, after all. And the academies only recruit once every three years."
After exchanging a few more pleasantries with Fengze, Mu Gutian located the area designated for the Mu Family. He led the disciples over, but he himself walked to a separate, elevated platform where four chairs were set. Once everyone from the Mu Family was seated, five people—three young men and two young women—moved to the contestants' waiting area.
Mu Chen glanced toward the waiting area and realized he knew all five of them. There was Mu Bingling, Mu Xiaotian, Mu Rongxuan, and Mu Rongxuan's younger sister, Mu Xue'er.
When it came to Mu Xue'er, Mu Chen had mixed feelings. In terms of looks, she was second only to Mu Bingling in the entire family. It was only because she was constantly overshadowed by Bingling that she seemed less remarkable. Looking at her now, the little brat from before had blossomed into a young woman. Her fresh, charming appearance gave off an ethereal air, and her figure was excellent. In some ways, she had developed even better than Mu Bingling.
The strange thing was, she was nice to everyone except him. The moment she saw Mu Chen, she would become hostile and her words would turn sharp. Mu Chen shook his head with a sense of resignation; a gentleman doesn't quarrel with a lady. That's why he usually kept his distance from her. He just never imagined that the little brat from back then was now skilled enough to represent the Mu Family in the competition. It meant her strength ranked among the top five in the family.
The fifth disciple was a short young man—even Mu Chen was half a head taller. He wore a gentle, friendly smile. Mu Chen vaguely recalled him; his name seemed to be Mu Jie. He was always quiet and kept a low profile, so it was a surprise to see he had also reached the standard to be in the family's top five.
Just then, three more groups approached from different directions. Mu Chen looked around and identified them as the other three major families: the Chen Family, the Li Family, and the Wang Family.
After arriving, the three patriarchs first exchanged the requisite pleasantries with Fengze before taking their seats.
The Head of the Chen Family, Chen Wenfu, chuckled when he saw Mu Gutian. "Patriarch Mu, you're quite early."
Mu Gutian just snorted, refusing to speak. The Chen and Mu Families had always been at odds. They had clashed in the shadows of Luofeng City numerous times, with the Mu Family losing out on every occasion. Naturally, Mu Gutian wasn't about to give him a warm welcome.
However, the Head of the Li Family, Li Zongtang, who sat beside Chen Wenfu, chimed in with a laugh, "Hehe, I say, Old Gu, your Mu Family was the first to arrive. Let's hope you don't finish last again. Otherwise, you'll be cementing your place as the weakest family in Luofeng City."
At these words, Mu Gutian became so enraged he was about to explode. But the Head of the Wang Family, Wang Mo, who sat beside him, grabbed his arm. "Old Gu, don't do anything rash. Now is not the time. If you do, that fellow Fengze won't let it slide."
With that, Wang Mo smiled and turned to the others. "The Chen and Li families seem to be of one mind, true comrades-in-arms. Your relationship must be quite close."
Hearing this, Li Zongtang stroked his beard. "Naturally."
"Oh? In that case, who's riding on whose coattails?" Wang Mo's next words immediately made Li Zongtang's face darken.
He was right. The Li Family was indeed close to the Chen Family, but only because they had shamelessly married off a daughter to secure the alliance and latch onto the Chens' power. Though Wang Mo hadn't said it outright, his words had struck a nerve.
"Hmph!" There was no good way for Li Zongtang to answer that question. Any response would be a losing one, so he simply snorted and fell silent.
Mu Gutian shot Wang Mo a grateful look. To be honest, the main reason the Mu Family still held its position as one of Luofeng City's four great families was thanks to the substantial aid from the Wang Family. From the very beginning, they had spared no effort to help. For this, Mu Gutian was deeply and sincerely grateful.
Seeing that the tense silence had returned, Wang Mo leaned over and whispered to Mu Gutian, "Say, Old Gu, what do you think of my granddaughter?"
Puzzled, Mu Gutian followed Wang Mo's gaze downward. He saw a young woman in a red dress standing in the Wang Family's waiting area. She was strikingly pretty, with pearly teeth, ruby lips, and bright, clear almond-shaped eyes. She had the demure and gentle look of a perfectly behaved lady. Yet, she also had a full head of fiery red hair, a feature so enchanting and vivid that she immediately stood out from the crowd.
"She is... truly lovely. But I wonder, what is Brother Wang's intention?" Mu Gutian certainly didn't believe Wang Mo just wanted him to admire his granddaughter. Two old men leering at a young girl? That wouldn't be proper at all.
Wang Mo let out a hearty laugh. "It's like this: I heard you have three grandsons, and that your eldest and second eldest are both in the contestants' area. Is that right?"
Mu Gutian froze, turning to stare at Wang Mo. He lowered his voice. "Brother Wang, you mean to say...?"
"Hehe, I'm sure you understand now, Old Gu," Wang Mo said with a grin, rubbing his hands together. "So, what do you think?"
Mu Gutian's mind was a battlefield of conflicting thoughts. He understood perfectly. Wang Mo was proposing a marriage alliance to bind the Mu Family to his own. But considering the Mu Family's current state, what could they possibly have that the Wang Family would want? 'What is he really after…?'