Chapter 21

North Spirit Academy, training ground.

Numerous students were drenched in sweat, their clear and loud shouts filled with vitality, spreading far and wide.

Muchen sat under the shade of a large tree, leaning lazily against the trunk, his gaze somewhat lackadaisical as he watched the various intense sparring sessions in the field. This kind of sparring clearly didn't interest him much.

"Hey, although your grades are good now, you can't be so lazy, can you?" A slender and soft figure suddenly blocked Muchen's view, and then Tang Qian'er's scolding voice sounded.

Muchen stared at the slender waist in front of him, then his gaze slowly moved up. The girl was dressed in a light yellow dress, with a prominent chest and a slender figure, quite alluring.

Looking at the girl's beautiful face filled with reproach, Muchen couldn't help but stretch lazily and said, "It's not laziness, it's just that this kind of sparring is useless to me."

In the Spirit Path, he had experienced countless life-and-death battles. There, he couldn't use any spiritual energy, but he had to push his wisdom and character to the extreme. Any slight negligence would result in elimination, and he would have to wait in the safe zone until the training ended.

Compared to that, the gentle sparring among students at North Spirit Academy was indeed of little use to Muchen.

"Hmph, all talk." Tang Qian'er snorted, but her beautiful eyes couldn't help but look at the boy's face, which was quite comfortable to look at. His black eyes, filled with gentle smiles, had a kind of calm and profound depth that was hard to possess at his age, making people feel a bit immersed in them.

Tang Qian'er also sat down next to Muchen, then she stretched out her slender hand and untied her ponytail. Her black hair instantly cascaded down like a waterfall, a scene so captivating that many around them cast envious glances at Muchen, thinking how well he was treated.

"By the way, how is your training of the Senro Death Seal going? No problems, right?" Tang Qian'er turned her head, furrowing her brows as she asked.

Muchen smiled and extended his palm. In his palm, there was a faint black seal, from which a cold aura slowly emanated.

"You've succeeded in your training?" Tang Qian'er's red lips parted slightly, her face filled with surprise. She couldn't help but grab Muchen's hand, staring at the black seal in his palm. She touched the black seal with her delicate fingers, and the cold aura that seeped through made her shiver slightly.

"It's only a preliminary success. I still need to continuously nourish it with spiritual energy." Muchen shook his head, then his gaze shifted, and he saw many people around him looking at him with intense interest. He coughed lightly and said, "You're going to make me unpopular."

Tang Qian'er came back to her senses, her face turning red, and she quickly let go of Muchen's hand.

Not far away, Luo Tong watched this scene, his eyes slightly dark. Tang Qian'er was the flower of the East Academy, and he naturally liked her. Moreover, Tang Qian'er's father was also one of the domain lords of North Spirit Territory. His father had once said that if he could win Tang Qian'er's favor, their Luo Domain and Tang Domain could join forces, greatly increasing their strength.

However, while the idea was good, Luo Tong did not easily win the girl's heart as his father hoped. Instead, she was quite cold towards him, which made him very angry. Now, seeing Muchen and Tang Qian'er getting close, he was filled with jealousy.

"Luo Brother, that guy is really arrogant." Jiang Li and Teng Yong, who were standing beside Luo Tong, looked at Muchen with envy and pouted.

Although they were unhappy, they knew that Muchen was not someone to be provoked, so they didn't dare to act as arrogantly as usual.

"A newcomer who just entered the Heavenly Realm dares to act so arrogantly in front of me."

Luo Tong's eyes darkened, then he turned his gaze to Tan Qingshan, who was training hard nearby, and said with a cold smile, "Jiang Li, go and spar with Tan Qingshan. Remember, take good care of the newcomer."

Jiang Li was taken aback, then hesitated and said, "Tan Qingshan and Muchen are good friends. If I cause trouble for Tan Qingshan, Muchen might..."

"I'm here, what are you afraid of?" Luo Tong frowned.

Seeing Luo Tong's dissatisfaction, Jiang Li didn't dare to say more and immediately got up, quickly walking towards Tan Qingshan.

Tan Qingshan, who was training, saw Jiang Li coming towards him and frowned. However, being a man of few words, he didn't say anything and continued practicing his boxing technique.

"Tan Qingshan, let's spar. This will help you progress faster. As an elder, I should take care of you newcomers." Jiang Li smiled insincerely at Tan Qingshan.

The surrounding students understood what Jiang Li was up to, but no one dared to say anything due to Luo Tong's dark gaze nearby. Moreover, such sparring was considered normal.

"These guys are really bullying too much!" Tang Qian'er also saw this scene, her brows furrowing, and she was about to get up, but Muchen held her smooth wrist.

"What's wrong?" Tang Qian'er looked at Muchen in confusion. Luo Tong and his group were clearly trying to provoke Muchen by targeting Tan Qingshan.

"Tan Qingshan is quiet, but he's also stubborn. Sometimes he doesn't need this kind of help. Don't underestimate a man's self-respect," Muchen said calmly.

"Such bullying of newcomers happens everywhere. If I step in to help him, it might reduce his troubles, but it's not what he needs. If he's too biased, he might even distance himself from me. To avoid such trouble, he needs to show others with his own abilities that he's not someone to be bullied."

"But he's not a match for Jiang Li," Tang Qian'er said.

"Victory doesn't always mean defeating the opponent," Muchen smiled. "As long as people know he's not a pushover, and that anyone who tries to bully him will have to pay a price, that's enough."

Tang Qian'er thought about it and felt that Muchen had a point, but she still said stubbornly, "Hmph, you're clearly younger than me, yet you act so mature."

Muchen laughed and looked at Tan Qingshan, whose face was changing. Tan Qingshan's hands were alternating between clenching and relaxing, and he seemed to be struggling. Then he looked at Muchen.

Muchen smiled at Tan Qingshan and nodded slightly.

Seeing Muchen's smile, Tan Qingshan's hands clenched tightly, and a fierce look flashed in his eyes. He said coldly, "Then I'll ask Senior Jiang Li for guidance!"

Jiang Li was taken aback that Tan Qingshan actually dared to accept, then he sneered, "What a presumptuous kid."

The two slowly backed away, and the surrounding students gathered around. Clearly, many thought Tan Qingshan was about to suffer.

The sparring began under everyone's watchful eyes.

As expected, the sparring was one-sided, with Tan Qingshan clearly outmatched. However, after a moment of sympathy, the students' expressions began to change.

They saw that despite being repeatedly knocked down by Jiang Li, Tan Qingshan showed no sign of giving up. Instead, he continued to charge at Jiang Li with a crazed, red-eyed determination, which even startled Jiang Li.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The two figures entangled in the field. Although Tan Qingshan was in a sorry state, he was willing to take several punches from Jiang Li just to bite him.

When Jiang Li punched Tan Qingshan back again, but was bitten on the arm, leaving a bloody mark, he finally couldn't bear the boy's wolf-like ferocity and took several steps back, shouting, "You're a madman!"

Tan Qingshan ignored him and charged forward again with red eyes.

"No more!" Jiang Li quickly dodged, looking at Tan Qingshan's red eyes, feeling a bit scared, and shouted angrily.

The surrounding students rushed forward to pull Tan Qingshan away, but he was too crazy and couldn't be restrained, which made many students feel a chill. This Tan Qingshan was really crazy.

Amid the shouts of the surrounding students, Tan Qingshan gradually calmed down. He cracked a smile, his body aching all over, his face bruised and swollen, but his eyes were filled with excitement.

In front of him, Jiang Li's clothes were torn, though he had no serious injuries, he looked disheveled, and the fear on his face was evident to all.

Although Tan Qingshan lost in strength, he won in spirit, which was enough to make the other Heavenly Realm students look at him with new respect.

Tan Qingshan wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and looked at Muchen, who was smiling and giving him a thumbs up, "Impressive."

Tan Qingshan scratched his head and laughed, feeling grateful to Muchen. Muchen had given him the chance to earn respect with his own abilities, and he thought that in the future, no other elders would bully him.

"This guy is a bit crazy," Tang Qian'er also laughed, the earlier scene of Tan Qingshan's craziness had made her a bit nervous.

Muchen smiled and nodded, then stood up.

"What are you doing?" Tang Qian'er asked in confusion.

"Tan Qingshan has done what he needed to do. Now it's my turn. If others want to provoke me, I have to respond. Otherwise, it will keep happening, causing trouble," Muchen smiled, his right hand slowly clenching. "Besides, I want to test how powerful this 'Senro Death Seal' is."

Muchen walked forward and, under the watchful eyes of everyone, entered the field, his gaze fixed on Luo Tong, who was nearby with a dark expression.

"Senior Luo Tong, I have just trained a new spirit technique and would like to ask for your guidance. I hope you will grant me this favor."