Chapter 274: Chapter 269: Display of Strength

Mu Chen smiled faintly. He found this fat guy quite interesting. He had a vague feeling he’d seen him somewhere before, but just couldn’t recall where.

"Will the four Spirit Selectors please prepare. This is the final match of Group Eighty. Winners will proceed to the next round. Losers, we’ll see you next year."

Elder Lin Xiao seemed tired, so the one officiating this time was the same inspector who had checked Ma Bi and Shi Quan earlier. Mu Chen and his opponent took their positions. Since the preliminary matches were considered unimportant, the contestants didn’t know each other’s names—only their designations.

"What great luck. To think it’s just a Third Grade Spirit Selector."

Just as Mu Chen was preparing to activate his Purple Sky Demon Pupils, a disdainful voice sounded from beside him. Mu Chen turned his head and saw that it was his opponent. The Third Grade Spirit Selector he’d mentioned was undoubtedly Mu Chen himself. ’Only someone of a higher rank would speak with such arrogance,’ Mu Chen thought. He subconsciously glanced at his opponent’s sleeve cuff. Sure enough, the man was a Fourth-grade Spirit Selector, a full Grade higher than Mu Chen’s apparent rank.

"I’ll be counting on your guidance."

Mu Chen smiled confidently, his tone neither deferential nor arrogant. He then turned, walked over to the pile of Original Stones, and exhaled softly. "Inspector, can we start now?" 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

The inspector merely glanced at Mu Chen but was inwardly stunned. For some reason, the moment he looked at the young man, he felt an aura radiate from him—the air of a sovereign descending upon the world. It was a sense of absolute control one only felt from the highest echelons of power. Shaking his head to clear it, the inspector announced calmly, "On your marks... the clock starts now!"

At the inspector’s sharp command, the four Spirit Selectors on the platform stepped forward in unison. They channeled their Primordial Power to their eyes. Instantly, the glow of one yellow and two blue Pupil Techniques enveloped the eyes of the other three contestants. As for Mu Chen, he simply stood there, his eyes still closed. ’Better to keep a low profile,’ he thought. ’This isn’t the finals, after all.’ Seeing that his opponent had already started picking out Original Stones, Mu Chen finally opened his eyes. An otherworldly purple light erupted from them, accompanied by a sound like a sharp sword being drawn from its scabbard. In that same instant, a staggering pressure swept across the entire high platform.

SHING!

Innumerable strange, black markings swiftly materialized around Mu Chen’s eye sockets, lending his fair complexion a hint of wicked charm and an eerie aura. Even the inspector was stunned by the phenomena that followed the opening of his eyes, to say nothing of the surrounding spectators and the other competing Spirit Selectors.

As the purple light faded, Mu Chen’s cold, purple Snake Pupils were revealed for all to see. Six ice-blue snowflake sigils rotated slowly within them.

’Purple Sky Demon Pupils, activate!’

Sitting in the stands below, Xu Fei gulped and said in horror, "That’s the feeling... Cold, cruel, eerie, and frigid. It’s like an awakened Ancient Divine Beast. Thank god he’s not staring at me, or I’d feel the urge to flee."

Wan Xian’Er felt much the same as Xu Fei. The more Mu Chen used his Purple Sky Demon Pupils, the more his confidence and domineering aura became apparent. Consequently, the presence projected by the Pupil Technique had undergone a world-altering transformation. And this was with Mu Chen actively suppressing it; otherwise, a terrifying primordial aura would have erupted from his body. All of this proved that the affinity between the Purple Sky Demon Pupils and Mu Chen was growing rapidly. The Profound Old Ghost was right: one day, these eyes would look down upon all creation from the very apex of the continent. And Mu Chen was sprinting down the path to that summit!

"Ma Bi, what do you make of that kid’s Pupil Technique?" Ma Gedan, who was seated to Wan Xian’Er’s right, suddenly asked, his expression turning serious.

Ma Bi frowned. "In terms of power alone, his Pupil Technique is no weaker than my white one. He could probably handle other Spirit Selectors of the same grade without any issue and might even be able to challenge some Fourth-grade Spirit Selectors."

Ma Gedan smiled. "A very fair assessment. Let me ask you this, then: if he were to go up against you, what do you think his chances of winning would be?"

"Against me?" Ma Bi shot a contemptuous glance toward Mu Chen and scoffed, "Is that even a comparison? Forget my white Pupil Technique for a moment. My rank as a Fifth Grade Spirit Selector alone is a gap he can’t possibly cross. Besides, my white Pupil Technique has that unique effect. In the entire Spirit Selection Realm, other than Elder Lin Xiao who can see through Original Stones without a Pupil Technique, who could possibly be a match for me?"

"Excellent! Excellent! Excellent!" Ma Gedan burst out laughing. After repeating the word three times, he stopped and continued, "That’s the kind of overwhelming presence I’m talking about! Let them know that your arrogance is backed by real power. Stone City will ultimately fall at the feet of our Marsburg City!" With that, the father and son exchanged a look, each seeing the same joyous confidence mirrored in the other’s eyes.

"Whoa! What kind of Pupil Technique is that? It’s so bizarre!" The people in the audience weren’t blind; this was genuinely the first time any of them had seen a purple Pupil Technique. Ordinary Pupil Techniques only manifested in five colors, and even mutated ones couldn’t produce purple. Purple... the color of royalty. Anyone capable of producing such a phenomenon was, without exception, a King!

"I’ve never seen a purple Pupil Technique either! Did he not use one in his first match? Why didn’t I see it?"

"Me neither!"

The crowd’s chatter soon reached Elder Lin Xiao’s ears. He had been the one who’d seen Mu Chen activate his Pupil Technique during the first match. At the time, however, the ambient auras of the other techniques had been too dense, so he had only noticed a strange change around Mu Chen. Coupled with the fact that Mu Chen had activated his technique for just an instant, he hadn’t paid it much mind, assuming it was simply the result of a mutation.

But now he knew his judgment had been wrong. These eyes were far more than a simple mutation. Just as he was unable to fully comprehend Ma Bi’s mutated white Pupil Technique, he, Lin Xiao, could not see through these purple eyes either.

"Elder Lin Xiao, what is this young man’s name? He seems quite young." An authoritative voice, powerful without a hint of anger, suddenly spoke beside Elder Lin Xiao’s ear.

Upon hearing the voice, Elder Lin Xiao quickly rose, bowed, and said, "Your Majesty, the young man’s name is Mu Chen. I reviewed the roster in my hand a moment ago when my curiosity was piqued. He is only fifteen years old."

The speaker was none other than the ruler of the Fenglan Empire himself: Emperor Fenglan, Shi Feng.

Shi Feng chuckled. "Now here is a talent on par with Ma Bi. To reach the level of a Third Grade Spirit Selector at only fifteen... such innate talent is comparable to, if not greater than, Ma Bi’s. I wonder which town he’s from?"

Elder Lin Xiao hesitated for a moment. "He... he seems to be a Spirit Selector from Stone City."

"Stone City?" Shi Feng murmured, his eyes twinkling with amusement. "You mean that remote town that’s been eliminated in the first round for nine consecutive years? Haha, interesting. I had already designated Stone City to become a vassal of Marsburg City. It seems that decision now warrants reconsideration."

Elder Lin Xiao nodded. "Let’s see how the young man performs. If he can truly make it into the top eighty, then that decision cannot be carried out. Otherwise, it will surely cause considerable backlash, which would be detrimental to Your Majesty’s rule."

Shi Feng nodded. "Elder Lin Xiao is quite right. In that case, let us wait and see. We shall find out just where this Mu Chen’s limits lie." With that, both Shi Feng and Elder Lin Xiao turned their gaze back to the high platform.

After activating his Purple Sky Demon Pupils, Mu Chen wasn’t in a hurry to select his stones. ’For a Martial Artist, grabbing all the chosen Original Stones in the final second is an easy task.’ So, he decided to simply scan through all of them first. The six ice-blue Ice Crystals spun around his pupils, forming an ice-blue ring. The Original Stones flew past his vision in a blur. With every flicker of light he perceived, he seared an imprint into his mind—the benefit of a photographic memory. Fifteen seconds flew by.

By now, Mu Chen’s opponent already had seven Original Stones placed before him. When he saw that there wasn’t a single stone on Mu Chen’s long table, the smile on his face grew even wider.

"Heh heh, and here I thought that purple Pupil Technique was something special. Turns out it’s just a flashy, empty display. Are you just here for the attention?" With that, the Spirit Selector plucked another Original Stone from the pile and deliberately dangled it in front of Mu Chen’s face in a blatant provocation.

Mu Chen didn’t spare the Spirit Selector a single glance, his eyes still sweeping over the entire pile of Original Stones. The time was about to run out, yet Mu Chen still hadn’t moved. Down in the crowd, Xu Fei couldn’t help but stare, dumbfounded. "What is Mu Chen thinking? He’s almost out of time!"

It wasn’t just him; everyone present was watching Mu Chen, but they were all completely baffled. Emperor Fenglan frowned. "Could that Pupil Technique truly be all for show?"

Elder Lin Xiao shook his head, indicating that he couldn’t understand it either. The inspector shot a look at Mu Chen and began the countdown, "The final match is ending! Three..."

Mu Chen paid no mind to the inspector’s countdown, muttering to himself instead. ’The entire pile contains a total of 176,633 Original Stones, and a fair number of them hold Spirit Crystals. Even after all the Spirit Crystal Ores chosen in the previous matches, there are still 15,494 left. But... there’s something unique inside one of them. It should be a type of forging material. I found it at the last moment, so I didn’t get a clear look, but I’ve memorized its location. Now for the selection. My opponent has eight stones. In that case, I just need to pick nine Spirit Crystal Ores to secure a decisive victory.’

"Two...!"

"One! Match conclu—" Just before the inspector could shout the final syllable, Mu Chen’s left hand shot forward. His palm opened, then clenched into a fist. The very space around him seemed to tremble as nine Original Stones were instantly pulled onto his table. Only then did the inspector’s final syllable—"—ded!"—land, and the entire plaza fell deathly silent...