Elder Sun is More Awesome Than the Principal

Seeing Elder Sun leave, Zhou Pingxia bristled with anger.

He looked at Lin Mu with an expression of utter disappointment, like a blacksmith despairing over inferior iron.

"Do you even know who that mental shock Elder Sun just blocked for you came from?"

Seeing Lin Mu silent, he explained on his own.

"Shengjing City Defense Army's supreme commander, Zhao Wuji!"

"A true peak Fourth-Turn powerhouse, only half a step away from entering the Fifth-Turn Saint rank!"

"His mental power spreads like an inescapable net, covering all of Shengjing. Any malicious mental probe exceeding Third-Turn will be instantly locked onto by him, and then... obliterated!"

Zhou Pingxia's tone was extremely grave.

"You got lucky this time. Elder Sun happened to be by your side, and he took a liking to your talent."

"Otherwise, you'd probably be a cold corpse by now!"

"I don't care what lucky encounters or secrets you have, but you remember this!"

Zhou Pingxia's gaze turned razor-sharp, nearly piercing Lin Mu's soul.

"Until you have absolute strength, sheathe all your claws and curiosity!"

"The capital, Shengjing, is far deeper than you imagine, hiding countless monsters even I dare not provoke!"

"Yes, this student understands."

Lin Mu's heart tightened. He bowed solemnly once more.

He knew this was Zhou Pingxia's way of protecting him.

"What level is Elder Sun?"

After replying to Zhou Pingxia, he asked casually, as if making small talk.

"Oh, Elder Sun is already Fifth-Turn... wait, you little brat, you're trying to pry information out of me!"

Lin Mu chuckled foolishly, staring at Zhou Pingxia with a silly grin, saying nothing.

"Alright, get the hell out of here."

Zhou Pingxia waved his hand as if shooing away a fly.

But as he turned to leave, the corner of his mouth couldn't help but curl up slightly.

This kid was even more monstrous and trouble-prone than he had imagined.

But he liked it!

After seeing off the principal, Cloud Viewing Residence fell silent once more.

Lin Mu sat at the stone table, replaying Zhou Pingxia's words in his mind, his heart unable to calm for a long time.

Peak Fourth-Turn, supreme commander of the city defense army.

And that was just one of Shengjing's visible guardian forces.

How many unfathomable existences like Elder Sun lurked in the shadows?

"Good thing I didn't modify the attribute reduction range of the [Fear Whisper Ring]'s [Fear Aura]!"

"I still underestimated Blue Star's professionals. In the end, my strength just isn't enough..."

Lin Mu murmured softly, his gaze growing increasingly resolute.

He opened his class panel, looking at the LV.17 level.

And the [Bone Shield] he needed LV.20 to learn, along with the epic-grade equipment requiring a higher level to equip.

A sense of unprecedented urgency surged within him.

He had to level up fast!

"Credit Shop."

Lin Mu remembered the golden card Mu Wanqing had given him.

With a thought, a virtual exchange interface unfolded before his eyes.

A dazzling array of items filled the screen, from equipment and skill books to rare materials and special potions—everything imaginable.

Lin Mu directly typed "experience" into the search bar.

Soon, one item firmly caught his attention.

[Wisdom Enlightenment Potion]

Effect: Upon consumption, enters a "Wisdom Enlightenment" state. For the next three hours, all experience gained from killing monsters is increased by 200%.

Exchange Price: 680,000 credits.

"Tch..."

Lin Mu sucked in a sharp breath of cold air.

Truly worthy of being a scarce resource.

The boost wasn't huge, but ordinary people couldn't buy it with Nova Coins even if they wanted to.

The one million credits specially approved by the principal were only enough to buy one bottle of potion!

This was practically daylight robbery.

But he had to admit, the effect of this potion was too tempting for him.

Three hours, four times experience.

Enough to save him a massive amount of tedious grinding time.

"Buy it!"

It hurt.

"But it's worth it."

Lin Mu closed the shop interface without a moment's hesitation.

Time was his most precious resource.

As long as it could quickly boost his strength, any investment was worth it.

There were still a few days before the official start of classes for new students.

He didn't want to waste this valuable window of opportunity.

Lin Mu picked up his communicator and directly dialed Mu Wanqing's number.

The call was picked up almost instantly.

"Student Lin Mu, is there something you need?"

Mu Wanqing's voice was still cool and distant.

"Teacher Mu, I want to know if the academy has any dungeons suitable for my current level that can let me gain experience quickly?"

Lin Mu got straight to the point.

Mu Wanqing on the other end of the line paused for a moment, as if quickly filtering through information.

"There are."

"The academy controls many dungeons, and three of them are resource-type dungeons open only to our students: [Lava Core], [Storm Cliff], and [Abyss Hunting Ground]."

"The monster levels in these three dungeons are all between LV.15 and LV.25, very suitable for you at your current stage."

"However..."

Mu Wanqing's tone shifted.

"Entering the dungeons requires paying credits or Nova Coins, and there are usually many upperclassmen teaming up to farm materials inside, which might cause some... unnecessary trouble."

Lin Mu instantly understood her implication.

It was nothing more than the usual nonsense of stealing kills and hogging territory.

"I understand."

Lin Mu had already made up his mind.

"Thank you, Teacher Mu."

"You're welcome."

Mu Wanqing paused, then added another sentence.

"Oh, and by the principal's special permission, all academy-owned dungeons are unconditionally free for you. Just show the 'Cloud Viewing Residence' access token."

"If you run into any trouble you can't solve, feel free to contact me at any time."

The call ended.

A faint smile curled at the corner of Lin Mu's mouth.

Free.

Privilege was truly the most wonderful thing in the world.

He immediately sorted out his equipment and left Cloud Viewing Residence.

Abyss Trial Ground entrance.

This place was livelier than any dungeon entrance Lin Mu had ever been to.

In front of the massive teleportation gate.

People came and went, everywhere were upperclassmen with powerful auras.

They gathered in groups of three or five, either recruiting teammates or hawking materials they'd just brought out of the dungeon.

Lin Mu's appearance didn't attract much attention.

A level of LV.17 was only mid-to-low here, nothing eye-catching.

He walked straight toward the registration desk at the dungeon entrance.

But before he could get close, several burly upperclassmen who clearly weren't good news

blocked his path.

The leader was a bald, brawny man, a LV.22 [Heavy Armor Shield Guard].

The gold chain around his neck was thicker than Lin Mu's thumb.

He squinted, jerking his chin at Lin Mu, his voice gruff.

"New here?"

Lin Mu nodded without speaking.

"Know the rules?"

The bald man held up three fingers, waving them in front of Lin Mu.

"One trip into the [Abyss Trial Ground], three hundred credits, or thirty thousand Nova Coins."

"Pay up, and big bros here will look out for you—guarantee you grind monsters safe and steady inside."

"Don't pay..."

He grinned, showing a mouthful of yellow teeth, the threat in his eyes unmistakable.