Mu Chen waited for almost three whole days before Zhao Feng opened his eyes once more. After exiting the meditative state, his aura had undergone a qualitative transformation. His entire being now vaguely resembled a sharp spear that could pierce through any obstacle. Spiritual qi was also overflowing from his body. He was just a step away from the Sea Forming realm.

If Mu Chen’s eyes did not fail him, Zhao Feng’s spear intent was already on the cusp of reaching the second level, spear force. Just a little push and he would officially enter the second level. For someone who was less than twenty years old, to already have achieved this level of spear intent was extremely rare. This youth was indeed a rare talent! If nurtured properly, he would definitely become a supreme spear master in the future.

The moment Zhao Feng opened his eyes, he came face to face with Mu Chen once again. Without hesitation, he immediately knelt on the ground and kowtowed to Mu Chen.

“Senior, please take me as your disciple!” Zhao Feng shouted at the top of his lungs. His eyes no longer contained wariness, but instead absolute awe and reverence.

Hearing this, Mu Chen smiled. Everything was going just as he had expected. He did not pick a fight with Zhao Feng just for the fun of it. When he laid eyes on this youth, he knew that this kid was a good seed. With enough support and nurturing, this seed would sprout and eventually grow into a tall tree that could even hold up the heavens.

This was exactly Mu Chen’s intention. He wanted Zhao Feng to follow him!

In his past life, Mu Chen was all alone in the cultivation world. It was extremely difficult for him to survive as he could not trust anyone. Every step he took, he had to watch his back. He was never at peace, never happy. It was always a battle for survival, every single day.

He had realized that one needed allies. No, he would not just accept any rabble from off the streets. He needed people who were loyal, talented and strong in will. He needed comrades who would stand beside him and never betray him no matter what. In this dog eat dog world, it was truly difficult to find people like that.

Mu Chen understood the problem and came up with a solution. Nurture them from young!

Therefore, the youth standing before him was one potential candidate to be nurtured.

“Oh? Why should I? Mu Chen raised a brow in amusement.

“I want to become stronger! Please teach me your spear technique!” Zhao Feng replied straightforwardly.

“What spear? It was just a branch.”

“Senior, please don’t make fun of me, I am not blind! Your spear intent has already reached a level I cannot even begin to comprehend, it is far stronger than even my grandfather’s spear!” Zhao Feng argued.

“Oh? Your grandfather must be quite strong then? Is he some famous person?”

“My grandfather is Zhao Yun, the current Azure Dragon General!”

“Azure Dragon General?”

This name seemed familiar. Mu Chen recalled this name somewhere from the memories he had obtained from the original Mu Chen. The Azure Dragon General was the right hand of the Azure Dragon King, ruler of the Azure Dragon Kingdom in which Skywind City was located. He was essentially the number two after the king himself.

This meant that Zhao Feng’s grandfather was the supreme commander of the entire Azure Dragon Army. He was indeed a pretty famous figure. Based on Zhao Feng’s bearing as well as techniques, Mu Chen already knew he was probably from some prominent force in the kingdom, but this was a better outcome than he expected.

If he could get Zhao Feng to become his follower, he would not only be getting a powerful helper on his side, but also the grandson of the Azure Dragon General! With that, he would be able to access information as well as cultivation resources. This would make his road much smoother, especially right now when he was still considerably weak.

“Oh? Then you must be the first young master of the Zhao Clan in the capital?"

"Yes senior, that is correct!"

“So what are you doing out here instead of staying in the capital?”

“I snuck out without permission to see the world and temper myself.” Zhao Feng said with a straight face.

"Just now, why did you not give up and beg for mercy, even when facing death?"

"If a warrior begs for mercy in the face of death, then he is no warrior at all!"

Zhao Feng's eyes were pure and unblemished, just like his spear intent.

"Good!" Mu Chen praised. This saying, he liked it very much. Indeed, his judgment was correct.

Zhao Feng's face lit up.

"Senior, does this mean you will take me as your disciple?" He asked with an expectant look on his face.

"No, I don't accept disciples." Mu Chen shook his head.

"Senior-"

"I am not accepting disciples, but only followers!"

"Follower..." Zhao Feng fell silent, his brows furrowed as he was in deep thought.

"Also, I am no senior, in fact I am around your age." Mu Chen chuckled.

"?!" Zhao Feng's face was filled with shock.

Amongst the Azure Dragon Kingdom's younger generation, he was already at the top in terms of strength and talent, but this person was far stronger than him, and his spear intent had reached an extremely high level, even higher than that of his grandfather's. Just who was this person?

"I promise you, if you follow me, I will help you become a supreme expert, one of the strongest under the heavens." Mu Chen declared. "This place is too small for someone like you. Follow me and I shall show you just how vast this world is."

Zhao Feng stared straight into Mu Chen's eyes. He could not detect a hint of malice or deceit, just absolute confidence in himself and his strength. Although he could not fathom the reason, an innate sense of trust for this person was born within him.

“I have decided. I will follow you! If I can become even stronger, then I will do anything!" Zhao Feng's gaze burned with desire. The desire to become even stronger. He knew that he would not be able to become stronger by staying in this small kingdom. He wanted to go out and see the world!

"Good! Then let us establish a blood contract."

"What is a blood contract? Zhao Feng asked.

"It is a pact made in blood. If one breaks it, they will suffer the penalty written in the contract." Mu Chen briefly explained.

Without further explaining, Mu Chen then bit his finger and drew blood. A mysterious power seemed to emanate from his finger as he began to write in the air using his blood.

'I, Zhao Feng, swear to follow Mu Chen and never betray him. In return, Mu Chen shall do his best to help Zhao Feng become a supreme expert. If I break this contract, may I die with my soul shattered and body destroyed!'

This was what Mu Chen wrote. He then signed his name below. The moment he completed the last stroke, a mysterious, intangible force descended on the entire area.

Zhao Feng's eyes widened in amazement at the blood red text floating in midair.

"If you are willing to accept these terms, then sign the contract!" Mu Chen instructed, jolting Zhao Feng out of his daze.

Without hesitation, Zhao Feng bit his finger and using his blood, he signed his name , 'Zhao Feng', next to Mu Chen's name.

The words glowed momentarily, then vanished into thin air. Zhao Feng could feel an inexplicable, mysterious bond had been formed between Mu Chen himself.

"The blood contract is made." Mu Chen said with a smile. With that, he had obtained his first follower.

"Master!" Zhao Feng knelt down and bowed his head, his spear gripped tightly in his hand.

"I am not some master. You can just call me Mu Chen." Mu Chen waved his hand dismissively.

"But-" Zhao Feng started to protest.

"Fine, then let's just make it simple and address each other as brothers. You are now not only my follower, but also a member of my family, so we can be considered brothers. From now on, I shall be your big brother!"

“Brothers…”

“Here, this is a small gift from your big brother.” Mu Chen's eyes glowed with a faint violet hue as he reached over with his index finger and tapped Zhao Feng lightly in his glabella.

A surge of information instantly entered into Zhao Feng’s mind.

“This is…” Zhao Feng’s eyes widened in shock.

“I have given you two saint ranked techniques. The first is a spear technique named [Overlord Spear Art], and the second, a body refinement technique named [Sun Tyrant Scripture]. They will help you become even stronger!” Mu Chen explained.

The [Overlord Spear Art] was something he had obtained early on when he was younger. He had practiced it for a period of time, but decided to stop after finding a more suitable technique. Mu Chen thought this technique suited Zhao Feng well, every move was direct, tyrannical and overbearing, just like Zhao Feng’s spear.

As for the [Sun Tyrant Scripture], it was a body refinement technique. For a cultivator, they could also train in another path known as body refinement, however this path was extremely arduous and near impossible to walk.

Once a cultivator reaches a high level in body refinement, it will become extremely difficult to progress, requiring a massive amount of time and resources compared to Qi refiners. However, these high level body refiners had very powerful bodies like that of demonic beasts. They could easily fight against Qi refiners and even come out ahead using purely their bodily strength. Zhao Feng was currently practicing one such body refinement technique, so Mu Chen decided to give him an upgrade.

“Thank you, big brother!” Zhao Feng clasped his hands and bowed in thanks. Peak ranked! His family only possessed one single Heaven ranked technique that they guarded like hawks, even Zhao Feng, as the Zhao Clan young master, was not allowed to learn it. Mu Chen had just handed one over like it was nothing! His new big brother was truly becoming even more enigmatic.

“Just a small matter. Remember, you must train well. Since you have the protection of your family, you should be fine with using these techniques out in the open. Just say that you had a lucky encounter.” Mu Chen instructed Zhao Feng, who nodded profusely in response.

”Alright, it's about time for me to return to Skywind City.”

“Big brother, you are from the Mu Clan in Skywind City?” Zhao Feng asked. He had stayed in Skywind City for a few days and knew a little about the three families from overhearing conversations at the inn he was staying at. When he heard the name Mu Chen, he put two and two together.

“That’s right. Now that you have signed the blood contract, I can tell you the truth!”