Five hundred Skeleton Soldiers and two hundred Skeleton Knights stood in orderly ranks beneath the gloomy sky. Seven hundred pale-green Soul Fires merged into a single expanse, illuminating the wasteland of the Half-Plane.
The infantry formation stood on the left, the cavalry on the right. Their ranks were immaculate, and not a sound stirred.
A true Undead Legion. His legion.
After a long silence, Electrolux's voice rang out again, carrying undisguised astonishment. "Five hundred Skeleton Soldiers at the Soul Grandmaster level and two hundred Skeleton Knights at the Soul Elder level. Taken to the continent outside, this force would be enough to capture a small city. And you accomplished this on your very first day studying necromancy."
He paused. A hint of self-mocking laughter crept into his aged voice. "When I first summoned the undead, I wasn't nearly so capable. You really are something, kid."
Mu Chen withdrew his gaze from his Undead Legion and turned toward the gray light orb in his Sea of Consciousness. He inclined his head slightly and said two solemn words. "Thank you."
"For what? This is only the beginning."
The first academic year at Shrek Academy's Outer Academy quietly drew to a close.
During the final week, the entire academy was steeped in a mood that was both lazy and restless.
The corridors were full of upperclassmen dragging suitcases, while younger students crowded around the noticeboards, checking their respective holiday assignments.
The greasy aroma of the cafeteria's final group meal mingled with the damp breeze blowing in from Sea God Lake.
At Freshman Class One's final class meeting, Zhou Yi stood at the lectern with the class register in hand, her gaze sweeping over the students from behind her glasses.
Her eyes lingered on Mu Chen for a moment before moving on. She began reading out the holiday reminders one by one.
"First, you are not to neglect your cultivation during the break. Your Soul Power will be tested on the first day of next semester. Anyone who fails to meet the standard can withdraw. Second, your holiday assignments have already been handed out: thirty pages of Soul Power theory exercises, an essay of at least three thousand words, and at least twenty combat Simulation reports. For every missing page, every missing word, and every missing report, you'll run two hundred laps around the field when you return."
A chorus of groans rose from the classroom.
Zhou Yi ignored them. She rolled the class register into a tube and rapped it against the edge of the desk. "Class dismissed. Mu Chen, come to my office."
Wang Dong turned to look at Mu Chen, a questioning look in her pink-and-blue eyes.
Mu Chen gave her a small nod, signaling that she should return to the dorm first, then rose and followed Zhou Yi out of the classroom.
There was hardly anyone left in the corridor. Zhou Yi's high heels tapped an unhurried rhythm against the stone floor. Without looking back, she asked as they walked, "You're asking for leave a week early. What are you going to do?"
Mu Chen didn't hide it. "The Far North."
Zhou Yi's steps faltered for a moment, then she continued walking. She didn't ask why or waste time saying something like, "It's very dangerous there." At Shrek, every student had secrets of their own, especially a genius of Mu Chen's caliber. As a homeroom teacher, her job wasn't to pry into everything, but to make sure her students understood their own choices.
"The Far North stays below minus eighty degrees all year. It's home to more than ten Ice-attribute Soul Beasts with cultivation bases of over ten thousand years. The top three among them are no weaker than human Super Douluo. What do you need?" Her tone was flat, as though she were reciting a dull geography lesson.
"Warm clothing, and a map of the Far North."
Zhou Yi pushed open the office door, rummaged through the bottom drawer of a bookcase, and pulled out a rolled-up, yellowed hide map. She tossed it onto the desk.
Then she took a pigeon-egg-sized, crimson bead from another drawer. A faint glow of fire flowed across its surface, and it felt warm to the touch.
"This is a Crimson Flame Bead, a Level 4 Soul Tool. Worn on your person, it forms a layer of insulation around your body and can withstand temperatures below minus one hundred degrees. It's borrowed from the library. Return it to me after the break." She added, "Don't break it. It's a brand-new purchase from this semester, and it was expensive."
Mu Chen took the Crimson Flame Bead. It was warm and smooth in his hand. The fire element spread from his palm through his body, like a bowl of piping-hot ginger soup.
He looked up at Zhou Yi and thanked her sincerely.
Zhou Yi waved a hand to indicate that he could go. When Mu Chen reached the door, her voice came from behind him, still as icy as ever. "Come back alive."
Mu Chen didn't turn around. He simply raised the Crimson Flame Bead in his hand and gave it a shake in reply.
When he returned to the dorm, Wang Dong had already packed her things. Two suitcases stood side by side beside the bed. One was hers, a pink-and-blue suitcase bearing a Light Goddess Butterfly sticker. The other was Mu Chen's, a dark-blue suitcase with no decorations and a faint scratch on one corner.
"What did Teacher Zhou want?" Wang Dong sat on the edge of the bed, her legs swinging in the air.
"Permission to leave." Mu Chen opened his suitcase and began packing: a few changes of clothes, a bag of rations, a flask of water, a simple tent, and the hide map Zhou Yi had given him.
Wang Dong's gaze followed his movements. When she saw him stuff the tent into his suitcase, her legs stopped swinging.
"Where are you going?" Her voice suddenly grew very soft.
"The Far North."
"How long will you be gone?"
"I'll be back before school starts."
Wang Dong fell silent for a while. She hopped down from the bed, went over to Mu Chen, and crouched beside him to help pack.
She took the bag of rations out of the suitcase and replaced it with two larger bags. Then she rummaged through her bedside cabinet and tucked a pair of thick woolen socks inside.
"It's really cold in the Far North. My mom gave me these, but I haven't worn them."
Mu Chen looked at the woolen socks with their pink stripes, but didn't say he didn't need them. He tucked them into a corner of his suitcase, zipped it up, and stood.
"See you when school starts."
"See you then." Wang Dong's voice was calm, but her fingers gripped her clothes so tightly that her knuckles turned faintly white.
When Mu Chen walked out of the dorm, she suddenly called after him, "Big Brother!"
He turned around.
Wang Dong stood in the doorway. Winter sunlight streamed in through the window at the end of the corridor, turning her pink-and-blue hair a warm golden color.
Her lips moved as though she wanted to say something, but in the end she only pressed them together, then forced a smile. "Remember to bring me back some souvenirs. Is there anything good to eat in the Far North?"
"Ice cubes," Mu Chen said.
Wang Dong burst out laughing and waved him off. "Just go already. Don't miss the carriage."
Mu Chen turned and went down the stairs. His footsteps gradually faded in the empty hallway. Wang Dong stood in the doorway for a long time, watching until his blue figure disappeared around the stairwell.
Then she closed the door, flung herself onto the bed, and covered her eyes with her arm.
"Idiot," she said to the ceiling.