After Elder Sun left, Zhou Pingxia glared and bristled.
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He looked at Lin Mu as if he were a hopeless disappointment.
"Do you know who was behind that mental attack Elder Sun just blocked for you?"
When Lin Mu stayed silent, he explained without waiting for an answer.
"Zhao Wuji, commander-in-chief of the Shengjing City Defense Army!"
"A genuine peak Fourth Advancement powerhouse, just half a step away from entering the Fifth Advancement Saint tier!"
"His mental power is like a Heavenly Net, covering all of Shengjing. Any malicious mental probe above the Third Advancement level will be instantly detected by him, then... obliterated!"
Zhou Pingxia's tone was grave.
"You were lucky this time. Elder Sun happened to be nearby, and he saw potential in you."
"Otherwise, you'd probably be a cold corpse by now!"
"I don't care what opportunities or secrets you've stumbled upon, but remember this!"
Zhou Pingxia's gaze sharpened, as if it could pierce Lin Mu's soul.
"Until you have absolute power, keep your claws and curiosity to yourself!"
"The waters in Shengjing, the capital, run much deeper than you imagine. It's full of monsters even I can't afford to provoke!"
"Yes, I understand, sir."
Lin Mu bowed respectfully again, his heart tightening.
He knew Zhou Pingxia was protecting him in his own way.
"What level is Elder Sun?"
After replying to Zhou Pingxia, he casually slipped in the question.
"Oh, Elder Sun is already at the Fifth Advancement... Wait, you little rascal, you're trying to trick me into telling you!"
Lin Mu grinned foolishly at Zhou Pingxia, saying nothing.
"Enough. Get back there."
Zhou Pingxia waved him away like a fly.
But as he turned to leave, the corners of his mouth lifted despite himself.
This kid was even more of a prodigy—and even more of a troublemaker—than he'd imagined.
But he liked him!
After the principal left, Cloud Viewing Residence grew quiet again.
Lin Mu sat at the stone table, turning Zhou Pingxia's words over in his mind. He couldn't calm down.
A peak Fourth Advancement powerhouse, commander of the City Defense Army.
And that was only one of Shengjing's publicly known protective forces.
How many unfathomable figures like Elder Sun were hidden in the shadows?
"Good thing the modified effect wasn't the attribute-reduction range of [Fear Whisper Ring]'s [Fear Aura]!"
"I really underestimated Blue Star's professionals. In the end, I'm just not strong enough..."
Lin Mu murmured softly, his resolve growing firmer.
He opened his Class Panel and looked at his LV.17 level.
At the [Bone Shield] skill, which required LV.20 to learn, and the epic equipment he could only equip at an even higher level.
A sense of urgency unlike anything he'd felt before welled up inside him.
He had to level up as soon as possible!
"Credit Mall."
Lin Mu remembered the golden card Mu Wanqing had given him.
With a thought, a virtual exchange interface opened before his eyes.
It offered an overwhelming array of goods, from equipment and skill books to rare materials and special potions.
Lin Mu went straight to the search bar and typed in "experience."
Soon, one item caught his eye.
[Wisdom Enlightenment Potion]
Effect: After consumption, enter the "Wisdom Enlightenment" state. For the next three hours, all experience gained from killing monsters is increased by 200%.
Exchange price: 680,000 credits.
"Gasp..."
Lin Mu sucked in a breath.
No wonder it was a scarce resource.
The boost wasn't huge, but ordinary people couldn't even buy one with Nova Coins.
The one million credits specially approved by the principal was only enough for a single potion!
That was outright robbery!
But he had to admit, the potion's effect was far too tempting.
Four times the experience for three hours.
It would save him a huge amount of tedious grinding.
"Buy it!"
It hurt.
"But it's worth it."
Lin Mu closed the mall interface without a moment's hesitation.
Time was his most precious resource.
As long as he could grow stronger quickly, any investment was worthwhile.
The new students' classes wouldn't officially start for a few days.
He didn't want to waste this precious window of time.
Lin Mu picked up his communicator and called Mu Wanqing.
She answered almost immediately.
"Lin Mu, what is it?"
Mu Wanqing's voice was as cool as ever.
"Teacher Mu, I wanted to ask if there are any dungeons in the Academy suited to my current level where I can gain experience quickly."
Lin Mu got straight to the point.
Mu Wanqing fell silent for a moment, apparently sorting through the information.
"There are."
"The Academy controls many dungeons. Three resource dungeons are open only to our students: [Lava Core], [Storm Cliff], and [Abyss Hunting Ground]."
"The monsters in these three dungeons range from LV.15 to LV.25, so they're very suitable for you right now."
"However..."
Mu Wanqing changed tack.
"Entering a dungeon costs credits or Nova Coins, and there are usually many upper-year students in there farming materials in groups. You might run into some... unnecessary trouble."
Lin Mu instantly understood what she meant.
It was the usual nonsense—stealing kills, claiming territory, and the like.
"I understand."
Lin Mu had already made up his mind.
"Thank you, Teacher Mu."
"You're welcome."
Mu Wanqing paused, then added, "By the way, under the principal's special authorization, all dungeons controlled by the Academy are free for you to enter. You only need to show your Cloud Viewing Residence access token."
"If you run into trouble you can't handle, feel free to contact me anytime."
The call ended.
A faint smile tugged at Lin Mu's lips.
Free.
Privilege really was the most wonderful thing in the world.
He immediately checked his equipment and left Cloud Viewing Residence.
Entrance to the Abyss Trial Ground.
It was busier than the entrance to any dungeon Lin Mu had visited before.
Before the enormous portal,
people came and went, and powerful upper-year students were everywhere.
They gathered in groups of three or five, either recruiting teammates or selling materials they'd just brought out of the dungeon.
Lin Mu's arrival barely drew any attention.
At LV.17, he was only slightly below average here—not someone who stood out.
He went straight to the registration desk at the dungeon entrance.
However, before he could get close,
several burly upper-year students who clearly looked like troublemakers
blocked his way.
Their leader was a bald brute, a LV.22 [Heavy Armor Shield Guard].
The gold chain around his neck was thicker than Lin Mu's thumb.
He glanced sideways at Lin Mu and jerked his chin toward him, his voice gruff.
"New here?"
Lin Mu nodded without saying anything.
"Know the rules?"
The bald brute held up three fingers and waved them in front of Lin Mu.
"Three hundred credits or thirty thousand Nova Coins to enter the [Abyss Trial Ground] once."
"Pay up, and we'll look after you, little brother. We'll make sure you can farm monsters in peace."
"If you don't pay..."
He grinned, showing yellow teeth. The threat in his eyes was unmistakable.
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