Chapter 144: Chapter 141: Life and Death Trial
What followed, of course, was Mu Chen continuously grilling at while the others feasted heartily. Fortunately, Mu Chen still had plenty of Demon Beast at in his Storage Ring—enough for everyone to eat like this more than ten tis over.
"BURP..."
After devouring the last large piece of grilled at, the Snow Qilin let out a satisfied burp. Its adorable expression made everyone burst into laughter. But when Mu Chen noticed the little creature was now covered in grease, he frowned. Suddenly recalling that Mo Qing was a Water Attribute Martial Artist, he said with a smile, "Mo Qing, could you summon so water to give it a wash? This little guy is so greasy I don’t even want to hold it."
Mo Qing smiled sweetly. Raising her hand, she conjured a jet of water. Mu Chen snatched the escaping Snow Qilin, held it under the stream, and began to scrub. He had to admit, the little guy’s fur was incredibly smooth. The grease hadn’t penetrated it at all, just clinging to the surface, so a gentle rinse was enough to restore it to its forr state. Its pristine white coat was once again on display for everyone.
With a vigorous SHAKE SHAKE SHAKE, the Snow Qilin flung the water from its fur and yelped at Mu Chen in protest. To its dismay, Mu Chen paid it no mind. Mo Qing, however, gently scooped it up into her arms. It was clear that Mo Qing, just like Mu Bingling, was very fond of the Snow Qilin, and the creature didn’t dislike either of them. As for why it wouldn’t let Ye Shuangshuang hold it, Mu Chen had no idea.
Sumr days were long. The sun still hung in the western sky, yet it was almost ti to assemble. The group filed out of the forest and headed toward the first-year academic building. The sunlight stretched their five silhouettes long, creating a beautiful scene when viewed from a distance.
Back at the first-year academic building, many students had already entered their classrooms. These were the ones who hadn’t participated in the freshman trial and had been assigned their classes in advance. Outside the building, thirty youths with calm expressions and dignified bearings stood waiting. These were, of course, the students selected for the special class. Many of the regular students gazed at their thirty upright figures with envy, but others were unimpressed, believing the special class was just a showpiece for the academy and ultimately useless.
Mu Chen’s group was, as usual, fashionably late. Who could have known that on such an important day, these five had gone to the back mountain for a barbecue feast before finally showing up? When they arrived, many of the special class students’ faces lit up with admiration. The reason was simple: their group included Mu Chen. He was the boy who had created a miraculous record, the first of its kind in the history of the Imperial Academy, by defeating a fourth-year Holy Hall student—a Three-Ring Martial Spirit—while still a freshman Sixth-Ring Martial Master. It was a glorious feat that no one would likely ever surpass.
Mu Chen returned the friendly gazes with a smile and a nod. Their arrival ant that all thirty-five students of the special class were now present. Mu Chen’s group chose a spot near the back and fell silent. With his presence, the other students stood a little straighter, though they themselves didn’t quite know why. They just instinctively didn’t want to appear lazy in front of him.
Mu Chen found the atmosphere a bit strange. Fortunately, at six o’clock sharp, Lingyun walked out. Today, Lingyun had completely changed her usual style. A long dress. This "tomboy," who always wore practical combat attire, was actually wearing a form-fitting black dress today. It sculpted her mature, alluring figure to perfection. The most astonishing part was her full chest; her usual combat gear had completely hidden her true proportions, but now it looked as if her bodice might burst. Her coiled hair had been let down, its stunning length almost reaching her hips, thick and luscious. Having reverted to a more feminine appearance, Lingyun might not have been a world-toppling beauty, but she was naturally enchanting. Every gesture exuded a certain allure. Though she was nearly thirty, she now looked as captivating as a twenty-year-old.
’Is that Instructor Ling Yun?’ At that mont, the sa question rose in the minds of all thirty-five students.
Seeing the dazed looks on all thirty-five students’ faces, Lingyun’s own face flushed slightly. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to wear dresses, nor was it her wish to be called a "tomboy." What woman didn’t want to be beautiful? It was just that her long-standing stubbornness had convinced her that won were easily bullied, so she had grown accustod to solving problems with her fists since she was a child. But in the blink of an eye, she was nearly thirty, and she had grown weary of dressing like a man all the ti. Hence, the change today. Seeing their reactions, however, made Lingyun’s heart pound with anxiety.
"Uh... does this outfit... look ugly?"
Even the usually self-assured Lingyun couldn’t remain composed after such a drastic change. For a long mont after she asked, no one answered. By the ti everyone ca to their senses, a hint of disappointnt was already visible in her eyes.
"Instructor Ling Yun!" A voice called out from a corner—it was Mu Chen, of course. Lingyun looked toward the sound, her eyes eting his. The corners of his lips curved up. "Just as I thought... long dresses really do suit you better."
His expression was so sincere, without a hint of being contrived. He hadn’t directly said, "It looks great," but his response was ten thousand tis more satisfying to Lingyun than that simple phrase ever could be.
"That’s right! Instructor Ling Yun looks much better in a dress!"
Instantly, the students all shouted in agreent, their expressions completely sincere. They genuinely thought Instructor Ling Yun was beautiful. The allure of a mature woman for adolescent boys is endless, especially one as captivating as Lingyun.
"Thank you..."
Lingyun felt her eyes growing moist. For so many years, no one had ever called her attractive, beautiful, pretty, gentle, or alluring. It was as if those words had nothing to do with her. The adjectives she always heard were "tough," "tenacious," "fierce," and "barbaric." As a woman, weren’t those just veiled insults? Now, she had finally earned soone’s approval. Even if it was just from a group of fourteen and fifteen-year-old students, Lingyun had made up her mind. ’From this day on, I’ll be a true woman. A confident woman.’
Seeing that Lingyun had completely shaken off her insecurity, Mu Chen, still in the corner, let a small smile play on his lips. He looked down at his feet, as if what just transpired had nothing to do with him. Standing beside him, Mo Qing’s gaze softened. ’Mu Chen... is so kind,’ she murmured, so quietly that only she could hear.
Composing herself, Lingyun flashed a lovely smile. "I’m sorry for wasting everyone’s ti." With that, her expression suddenly grew serious. "Now that everyone has arrived, I hereby announce the official launch of the Imperial Academy’s first-ever special class. Codena: Demon!"
Mu Chen’s eyes, which had been closed, opened with a flash of keen light. ’Demon! Not a bad na,’ he thought. ’It seems the Outer Circle and the Holy Hall are being set up as rivals. They even chose opposing nas: Holy Hall, Demon.’
Through Lingyun’s explanation, Mu Chen learned the specifics of the "Demon" class. Like the Holy Hall, the "Demon" class had its own separate teaching area. This one, however, was located within the Outer Circle’s territory, centered on the Tower of Calamity. The two bases were situated on a direct line from each other, only the "Demon" location was not as well-hidden as that of the Holy Hall.
Lingyun pointed to a strangely shaped building and said, "This is where we’ll be having our classes from now on."
Mu Chen looked up, a knowing smile appearing as he took in the building’s design. It was a pure black structure, resembling a small, ancient castle. Before them stood a three-ter-tall iron gate, upon which a massive demon’s head was engraved. Its crimson eyes radiated a bloodthirsty light, sharp fangs were bared in a terrifyingly savage expression. Combined with the black fortress-like backdrop, it certainly had a dark flavor. Judging by its apparent age, the building had likely been standing for a long ti; it was simply well-hidden and unmarked on the campus map.
’It really fits the codena "Demon."’
Mu Chen sized up the place where he’d be spending the next few years and was quite satisfied; the whole vibe felt exciting. When he turned to look at the others, he was surprised to see that every one of them looked thrilled, without a hint of fear.
Lingyun nodded with a smile. "I like your expressions. However, the class is nad ’Demon’ not because we want you to beco wicked devils, but rather..." She paused, her expression filled with pride. "The Demon Squad."
"Demon Squad?"
Just as Mu Chen was pondering the aning of this, Lingyun began her explanation. "The Demon Squad is a team made up of the six strongest students in the special class. These six mbers aren’t chosen from the outset; they’re decided by the top six perforrs in the monthly and final exams."
The monthly exam was a trial used by the Xuanling Imperial Academy to assess a student’s progress. It was a competition held during the first month of every sester, and students who ranked highly would receive extrely generous rewards from the academy. The final exam, as its na suggested, was a competition at the end of each sester designed to test the results of the students’ Cultivation over that period.
Lingyun saw their pensive expressions and chuckled. "It seems you all know what the monthly and final exams are. However, for the special class, those are rely minor tests. Here, we will hold a ranking competition every single month. There will always be a ranking among the thirty-five of you, and this ranking will determine your status. The top six, needless to say, will be the mbers of the Demon Squad. They will enjoy double the resources of the other twenty-nine students, and triple the resources of regular Outer Circle Students. Furthermore, they will have permission to read any book on the fifth floor of the Library Pavilion and all floors below it."
"The extra resources might not seem like a big deal, but the chance to enter the fifth floor of the Library Pavilion is not an opportunity just anyone gets. You must understand, the things kept there are priceless. Even the highest privilege granted to Holy Hall Students is rely access to the fifth floor. Look into it, and you’ll realize just how great the benefits are."
After a brief pause, Lingyun continued, "This is the very first special class the academy has ever ford. We are far behind the Holy Hall, both in our curriculum’s progress and in our students’ starting points. Don’t get defensive; I’m telling you the truth. In the Holy Hall, every student is a gifted Martial Artist from day one. Their Cultivation speed is incomprehensible, or their potential is enormous. The average Martial Artist Realm of a first-year student in the Holy Hall has already surpassed Grand Martial Master. Do you know what that ans? It ans if we were to fight students of the sa year from the Holy Hall, we wouldn’t stand a chance. In their eyes, you are garbage. Even now that you’re in the special class, to them, you’re just the garbage of the special class."
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