But even though they were wary, these Outer Mountain members didn’t leave. Instead, they stared at Mu Chen, each of them trying to size him up.
Time ticked by, second by second. Since the Outer Mountain members wouldn’t leave, Mu Chen and his group couldn’t either. The two sides were locked in a stalemate. The short, fat man, seeing how strange the atmosphere had become, grew incredibly anxious. ’If that kid gets his hands on the Secret Technique, my losses will be immense!’ But just as he was at his wit’s end, he spotted a figure among the crowd of Outer Mountain members, and a sinister smile spread across his face...
"Give my brother’s ring back!"
An abrupt, furious roar shattered the silence. The Outer Mountain members and Mu Chen all turned toward the short, fat man, their eyes filled with confusion.
"Lei Gui, what ring are you talking about?!"
A handsome man in green robes was the first to speak up. At that moment, Mu Chen learned the short, fat man’s name, which was cut from the same cloth as Thunder Demon’s. ’Thunder Demon, Lei Gui... a man who truly lives up to his name.’
"Wu Yue, quick! This kid snatched my brother’s ring! Inside that ring are the Thunder Armor Secret Technique and a Top-Grade Medicinal Herb!" As he spoke, a barely perceptible smirk touched the corner of Lei Gui’s lips, but his face was a mask of panic and furious shock.
"What?!" The man called Wu Yue was stunned. A keen light flashed in his eyes, and his wariness gave way to excitement.
’Are you kidding me? The Thunder Armor Secret Technique! That’s the legendary Thunder Armor Secret Technique!’ As one of the top Basic Level members of the Outer Mountain, Wu Yue considered his talent second to none—not to anyone present, and not even to Thunder Demon, who now lay in a massive crater, his fate uncertain.
And yet, no matter how hard he tried or how diligently he trained, he was always effortlessly left in Thunder Demon’s dust. This deeply frustrated the once-arrogant man, but there was nothing he could do. At first, he was baffled. He couldn’t understand why—despite his talent being every bit as good as Thunder Demon’s and his Cultivation being far more rigorous—he was still constantly outclassed by him.
That is, until an Outer Mountain trial where he witnessed the brilliant Tri-Color Armor with his own eyes. The oppressive aura it emanated terrified him. It was on that day that he learned of Thunder Demon’s ultimate trump card: the Seven-Color Thunder Armor! *That* was the real reason he had always been losing to him!
"So it’s the ring with the Thunder Armor Secret Technique!"
"Damn, we have to get it back! With that Secret Technique, even a Martial Artist without the Thunder Attribute could gain immense benefits!"
"That’s right. The inner mountain has an exchange platform. Even if you can’t use it yourself, you can trade it for a Secret Technique of equivalent value that suits you. Kid, hand over Thunder Demon’s Storage Ring right now, or else... hmph, hmph..."
Sure enough, after Lei Gui fanned the flames, the tense silence was completely shattered. Mu Chen was once again the target of everyone’s aggression.
Letting out a long breath, Mu Chen smiled. He saw right through Lei Gui’s ploy. But for Mu Chen, who had been prepared for a tough fight from the very beginning, this added little pressure. None of these people posed a threat to him.
"Kid, you’re one of this year’s new recruits, aren’t you? If you’re smart, you’ll hand Thunder Demon’s ring back to us."
The condescending words, coupled with the aggressive gaze, greatly annoyed Mu Chen. He had despised that kind of look six years ago. Back then, he had to endure it. But now... there was no need to endure it any longer!
"Oh?" Mu Chen looked at Wu Yue with amusement, a cold smile on his face. "And what if I refuse?"
"Refuse?" Wu Yue sneered back, glancing at the crowd around them. "You might be strong enough to defeat Thunder Demon, but judging from the state of this battle, you’ve used up a great deal of your Primordial Power. Facing dozens of us Emperors, even Thunder Demon at his peak wouldn’t have dared to provoke us. If you refuse to hand it over, I’m afraid you won’t be leaving here in one piece."
The thick sarcasm made Mu Chen’s brow furrow for a moment, but it quickly smoothed out again.
"Is that so? Then I’d like to see just how I ’won’t be leaving here in one piece’..."