With Li Ling chattering away as his guide, Lin Mu passed through Shengjing Academy's magnificent main gate, carved from a single enormous block of stone.
Beyond the gate, waves of source energy so dense they seemed almost tangible washed over him.
The academy's buildings blended the ancient with the futuristic.
A row of laboratories brimming with cutting-edge technology stood alongside palaces steeped in antiquity.
The students coming and going all had steady, powerful auras and sharp eyes. Not one of them was weak.
"Junior, look! The main building of Heaven Branch is just ahead!"
Li Ling pointed excitedly at a building made entirely of an unknown kind of blue jade.
"Heaven Branch has the best resources of the four branches. It even has its own cultivation secret realm. Everyone who gets in is a monster among monsters!"
The two of them arrived at the main building's office.
Mu Wanqing had been waiting for them for some time.
When she saw Lin Mu, a flicker of curiosity and appreciation crossed her eyes.
Then she returned to her usual professional composure.
"Lin Mu, welcome to Shengjing Academy."
Mu Wanqing skipped the small talk and stood up at once.
"Come with me. Your classmates have all arrived."
She led Lin Mu into an absurdly spacious common room.
Inside, twenty-eight new students with wildly different auras sat or stood about.
Their powerful presences clashed, making the air feel heavy.
Li Ling leaned close to Lin Mu's ear and quickly introduced them in a low voice.
"The one with his eyes closed, surrounded by all kinds of elemental energy, is Luo Tian. He's the most talented professional at Shengjing Academy this year. When he awakened the Elementalist class, he also activated the [Golden Talent: Elemental Mastery]!"
"The girl in the corner playing with a dagger is Xiong Zining. She has the [Purple Talent: Shadow Dance], a top-tier talent in the assassin class!"
"And the muscular man radiating a holy aura is Lei Ming. He has the [Purple Talent: Holy Light Affinity], and his class is the rare Paladin!"
Every person here was an elite selected from across the country.
"Everyone, settle down."
Mu Wanqing's voice rang out.
Standing in the middle of the common room, she introduced him:
"This is Lin Mu, your new classmate."
Every sharp gaze instantly turned toward Lin Mu.
When they sensed his level—LV.15, higher than any other new student—several of them narrowed their eyes.
But when their gazes landed on the unmistakable words "Necromancer" displayed beside his name,
doubt, confusion, and even contempt began to spread through the crowd.
"Pfft!"
A young man built like a bear, with muscles knotted all over his body, burst out laughing.
His name was Lu Hu, and he had activated the [Purple Talent: Extreme Berserk].
"A Necromancer? And he hasn't even activated a talent yet? How did a class that useless in the early stages get into Heaven Branch?"
"How'd he get to that level? Did someone carry him?"
His voice was nothing like his build: high-pitched, loud, and utterly rude.
A few people murmured their agreement.
Zhao Lei, following behind them, was delighted to see this.
Lin Mu remained unmoved. He simply raised his eyes and glanced at Lu Hu.
His gaze was as deep as an ancient well, and Lu Hu felt a chill at the back of his neck.
Lin Mu didn't argue. He merely said, "There'll be a chance to prove how strong I am."
"Hmph!"
Mu Wanqing frowned and gave a heavy snort. A wave of pressure swept across the room.
"Put away that ridiculous pride of yours! Heaven Branch values potential and combat ability, not shallow judgments based on level or class!"
Her gaze swept over everyone as she got straight to the point.
"Lin Mu is the one who set the SSS-Rank record in the trial Dungeon and the SS-Rank record in the Wailing Cavern."
At those words, the entire common room fell utterly silent!
Everyone's expressions froze!
They might not have recognized Lin Mu standing right in front of them.
But they had certainly heard of the new student from Xilin who broke the records this year.
"All right. Now that everyone's here, I'll announce the first Heaven Branch evaluation."
Mu Wanqing looked around the room.
"Tomorrow, all new students will take part in a practical combat test."
"The test will take place in the academy's Void Secret Realm."
"Each of you will enter a separate Dungeon space. Your overall score will be based on your performance in the secret realm, including the number of monsters killed, your efficiency, how long you survive, and so on."
"Your final score will directly determine your future resource allocation and training plan!"
The moment she announced the test, the atmosphere crackled with tension.
Lu Hu's face flushed as he spoke up again, directing his challenge straight at Lin Mu.
"Genius Necromancer! I challenge you!"
"If you do better than me in this test, I, Lu Hu, will get down on my knees and apologize to you in front of everyone!"
"That's right! I, Ao Di, will too!"
Another tall, skinny young man chimed in.
Lin Mu's mouth twitched as he grumbled inwardly, What the hell, did I stumble into a car convention?
Suppressing a laugh, he met their challenging gazes and nodded calmly.
"Just as you wish."
His unruffled attitude only irritated Lu Hu and Ao Di further. The other geniuses watched, eager to see what would happen.
After the test was announced, everyone dispersed.
With Li Ling's help, Lin Mu moved into a private dormitory in Heaven Branch.
The place was lavish in every way. It was enormous, and even came with a private gravity training room and an energy replenishment array.
After sending off Li Ling, who looked at him with admiration,
night fell, and he refreshed his talents.
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