I Want to Be the Boss?

The crowd that had been noisy fell instantly silent.

Such was the deterrent force of Teacher Mu at Qinglan Academy.

Although Li Yubai was the academy's dean, as the city lord he was overwhelmed with daily affairs and had no time to manage it, so in truth, Teacher Mu was the true leader of Qinglan Academy.

It was said that he had once been a super-strong expert at Nascent Soul Perfection, and though for some unknown reason his cultivation had now fallen to Nascent Soul Realm Beginner, no one could question his strength.

Over the years, under Teacher Mu's management, Qinglan Academy had grown and developed steadily, producing over a dozen Core Formation Realm graduates, and had already begun to rival Cangyun Academy. Thus, everyone held this teacher, who was not the dean, in high regard.

"All new students reporting in, follow me. No unrelated persons are allowed to set foot in the academy."

Teacher Mu swept his gaze over the crowd and said coldly.

At this moment, Li Mu was inwardly agonizing over whether the system quest was complete, since strictly speaking, he and Hao Meng had at most fought to a draw.

Quest complete. Quest rewards distributed.

A crisp electronic prompt sounded. The system had still recognized Li Mu's victory. In his mind, the girl in the flowing dress, Seliya, appeared again, smiling warmly at Li Mu.

"It seems Senior Hao conceded voluntarily, so the system still judged me the winner."

Li Mu secretly rejoiced, then followed the girl in his mind into a tree hollow. To his surprise, inside was a hidden world—a colorful glass curtain wall, soft purple carpet—wasn't this the boudoir of the goddess Seliya from that ancient game? Sure enough, just like in the game, Li Mu quickly spotted the quest reward in the corner: a huge iron treasure chest.

The chest had clearly weathered the ages, covered in rust, its lock already broken.

"Truly a Shabby Iron Vault indeed."

Recalling the description of this quest reward, Li Mu felt it was perfectly fitting. He opened the chest and directly placed the Shadowless Sword in his hand inside, then withdrew his consciousness back to reality.

He found that the Shadowless Sword in his hand had truly vanished, which astonished Li Mu greatly.

"This is really spatial storage! The mysteries of spatial power are profound—legend says only super-powerful experts at the Tribulation Crossing Realm can glimpse even a trace of its secrets. Every spatial artifact that appears stirs up blood and storms, yet I've directly obtained this ability. This Simulation System is way too overpowered."

Li Mu's heart surged with ecstasy. He imagined that if he ever obtained any treasures in the future, he could directly store them in the chest, absolutely safe.

Moreover, in the original game, this chest could be upgraded. Perhaps the storage function in the Simulation System could also be enhanced, which would be even more advantageous for him.

Thinking of this, a slightly lecherous grin involuntarily spread across Li Mu's face.

"Ahem, Junior Li, sorry to bother you. Teacher Mu doesn't allow escorts, so I was wondering if I could trouble you to look after my little sister? She's still young—don't let her cause any trouble."

Watching Li Mu drooling again, Hao Meng couldn't help but doubt for a moment what this powerful Junior Li was thinking, always making strange expressions. The hand he had intended to use to send Hao Xiaomeng to Li Mu's side reached out, withdrew, reached out again, and withdrew once more—quite awkward.

"Haha, Senior Hao, don't stand on ceremony! I'll definitely take good care of Xiaomeng."

Snapped out of his daydream by Hao Meng, Li Mu quickly grabbed Hao Xiaomeng's hand, pulled her close, affectionately patted her head, and readily agreed to Hao Meng.

"Then I'll leave her in your care, Junior Li. I heard from Senior Sister Qingzhu that you signed up for the same Profound Tier Class as me, and Xiaomeng too, so we should meet again soon."

Hao Meng cupped his hands to Li Mu once more, then turned and entered the academy alone through a side door.

After exchanging a few more words with Lin Qingzhu, Li Mu led Hao Xiaomeng and followed the new student procession through the gates of Qinglan Academy.

This year, Qinglan Academy had a total of forty-five new students: five in the Heaven Tier Class, ten in the Earth Tier Class, and the rest all in the Profound Tier Class.

The distribution of current students was similar: the Heaven Tier Class had the fewest, just over twenty, while the Profound Tier Class had the most, nearly two hundred.

On the path of immortal cultivation, talent, effort, and resources were all indispensable. Those who successfully passed the screening to enroll in the academy were already one in a hundred, and those who entered the Heaven Tier Class were the cream of the crop. The academy would naturally spare no effort to cultivate them, for once one stepped into the Core Formation Realm, they gained the qualification to join a true immortal sect. Only then would the immortal path truly unfold, offering a chance to pursue higher realms. Any Nascent Soul Realm cultivator could bring prosperity to their family and bless an entire region.

The five Heaven Tier Class new students naturally took the lead, walking at the front of the procession right behind Teacher Mu. All five came from noble families, each with ancestors who had once been Nascent Soul Realm cultivators. Both their talent and family heritage supported their greater chances of advancing on this immortal path.

Behind them were the ten Earth Tier Class students, mostly from wealthy families. Possessing considerable cultivation talent, they had been sent to the academy by their elders. If luck allowed them to step into the Core Formation Realm, it would be a great boost to their family's development.

The largest group at the back of the procession consisted entirely of commoner children, aside from Li Mu and Hao Xiaomeng. They carried the hopes of their entire families. Their parents had sold everything to send them to Qinglan Academy, all for the chance to change their family's fate one day. Though the probability was extremely low, as long as there was even a glimmer of possibility, every parent would give their all.

This reminded Li Mu of the education system in his original world—only a few prestigious universities, tens of thousands of students competing, many families knowing full well they couldn't squeeze onto that single-plank bridge, yet still looking forward with hope, because they knew that success meant a crow transforming into a phoenix, a life forever changed.

"Xiaomeng, why did you sign up for the Profound Tier Class? With your Hao Family's background and your talent, you should definitely be in the Heaven Tier Class."

Beside him, Hao Xiaomeng was blinking her big eyes, looking left and right, as if everything here was brand new.

"Mm, because my brother is there, so I want to go too."

Hao Meng had originally studied in the Heaven Tier Class, but after five whole years of stagnation, he felt he had no face to keep consuming the academy's resources, so two years ago he voluntarily transferred to the Profound Tier Class.

Hao Xiaomeng's answer was so straightforward, and utterly resolute. The path of immortal cultivation was harder than reaching the heavens; brothers turning against each other, even killing one another, over a faint, illusory possibility happened every day. That the Hao siblings shared such deep affection moved Li Mu deeply.

Along the way, Teacher Mu led everyone on a tour of the academy's various facilities, explained the basic teaching philosophy, and also gave advice to the Profound Tier Class new students on how to earn the resources needed for cultivation through their own efforts.

The academy supported students from commoner backgrounds and less affluent families by allowing them to learn secondary professions to earn income, which they could then exchange for resources needed for their cultivation.

Secondary professions like forging and alchemy were popular elective courses among students. Students could sell the pills, weapons, and other products of these professions to the academy, thereby earning money to continue their cultivation.

"I didn't expect the academy to be so humane. Although Qinglan Academy doesn't charge any tuition, just daily expenses alone would crush many commoner families."

As Li Mu marveled at the rationality of the academy's system design, he also wondered whether this Simulation Shop, besides allowing him to purchase items, also had a recycling function. He would have to try it out when he got the chance.

"This is the Profound Tier Class classroom. Students of this class may enter on their own. Your seniors will tell you what to do next."

After finishing the brief tour of the academy, Teacher Mu led everyone to their respective classrooms, gave a few instructions to each class monitor, and then left.

The Profound Tier Class classroom was enormous—more like a hall than a classroom, easily accommodating two hundred students.

The class monitor of the Profound Tier Class was none other than Hao Meng. Before Li Mu even reached the classroom door, Hao Xiaomeng was already hopping and skipping toward her brother. After all, she was still a ten-year-old girl, and her actions struck Li Mu as exceptionally adorable.

After greeting Hao Meng, Li Mu went straight to the back row of the classroom and sat down. Watching the bustling, lively scene in the room, he couldn't help but sigh—he never thought he'd find himself back on a school campus one day. The memories of his past life intertwined with the present scene, making it feel like a lifetime ago.

"Everyone quiet down. I have a few words to say."

A voice pulled Li Mu back to his thoughts—it was Hao Meng standing at the podium, signaling everyone to quiet down.

This Senior Hao was not only the strongest in the Profound Tier Class but also often helped classmates in need, so as soon as he spoke, the classroom fell silent at once.

Following custom, Hao Meng first welcomed the new students, and the newcomers introduced themselves one by one. But after Li Mu finished, it was obvious that the seated students began whispering among themselves, casting glances at Li Mu that were rather amused.

"This damn reputation," Li Mu muttered to himself.

He knew they were all talking about his past romantic exploits, but that was the truth, and he felt utterly helpless about it.

"Today I have another announcement to make. From now on, I will no longer serve as class monitor. I nominate classmate Li Mu to take over."

But Hao Meng's next sentence made Li Mu's jaw drop in shock, and it also stirred an uproar among the other students.

"Why is that? Monitor, we don't agree."

"That's right, your strength is clear for all to see, and you've always treated us well. I'll accept you as monitor, but anyone else? Hmph."

"Monitor, did someone force you to do this? Speak up, and we won't stand for it."

A single stone stirred a thousand ripples—Hao Meng's words ignited the entire classroom, and the gazes turned toward Li Mu began to grow hostile.