Tiered weapons were incredibly rare. Su Chen had yet to see a single one within the academy, let alone a second-tier item.
The Azure Iron Cable swirled around him, its speed alternating between fast and slow. Compared to a Binding Adept, his control was significantly faster and far more agile.
But the [Mystic Artifact Control] ability was capable of much more than just that. Su Chen extended his arm, and the azure iron cable suddenly burst apart, transforming into even finer tallic threads that coiled around his arm. Astonishingly, they gradually condensed into a dark green and gold arm guard that covered everything from his forearm down to his palm.
The toughness of a second-tier item far exceeded that of ordinary steel. Though it looked unassuming, its defensive capabilities were absolutely extraordinary.
After playing around with it a bit more, Su Chen discovered that he could split the cable into about ten individual tal wires, but it was incredibly difficult to coordinate them all simultaneously. If he were in actual combat, he could control one or two at most.
"If I pull them taut and combine them with my own speed, the lethality will probably be quite impressive..." Nurous application thods surfaced in his mind, but this level of ticulous control drained his ntal power very quickly.
As for the [ntal Piercing Spike], without a target, it was difficult to test its specific effects.
Having successfully beco a Mystic Artificer and now possessing two top-tier professions, his strength had skyrocketed and his arsenal of thods had expanded. Su Chen felt significantly more secure.
Qi Chuan and Jiang He were like thorns constantly pricking his heart. Those two had been dead silent recently, but he did not for a second believe that the matter was over.
"I should rest first..." Su Chen muttered, rubbing his temples. He had the city patrol tomorrow, and after just experiencing the Trial of Whispers and conducting various experints, he was quite exhausted.
...
"Idiot! How could I have a son like you, volunteering to join the city patrol?"
Bang!
Zhou Xian slamd his palm onto the table in a furious rage. His normally dignified face contorted fiercely, looking as if he wished he could shove the fool standing before him right back into the womb.
Zhou Zong's expression was exceedingly ugly as he muttered, "Volunteering for the patrol was encouraged by the City Lord..."
"Don't use that kind of excuse to fool !" Zhou Xian bellowed, his eyes wide with rage. "I told you to find a way to court Bai Fengxi! Who told you to use underhanded sches and tricks? Fighting over jealousy with a refugee—do you think that makes you look glorious? It only proves your incompetence!"
Zhou Zong's face shifted through various expressions before he grumbled, "I didn't expect you to actually care whether your son lives or dies. I thought the only thing in your eyes was the City Lord's seat."
"Zhang Hengyu knocked out twice and robbed of all my belongings, yet you did nothing. Is it because his father is the City Lord?"
"I told you, it wasn't Zhang Hengyu," Zhou Xian said, forcibly suppressing his anger.
"If it wasn't him, then who else has the ability and the sheer gall to do it?" Zhou Zong retorted, full of resentnt. "Could it have been that thief? Instead of trying to find a way to escape, he decided to steal potions right off my body?"
"Enough!" Zhou Xian's face twitched. He suddenly stepped forward, causing Zhou Zong's heart to skip a beat as he fearfully backed away.
Zhou Xian's voice softened slightly as he said in a deep tone, "Tomorrow, I will go see you off. I will have Hu Xiang look after you. You need to be careful too."
"It's not my first ti going on a patrol," Zhou Zong replied dismissively. "Besides, a powerful professional passed through a few days ago. What danger could possibly be nearby?"
"A powerful professional will deter the cunning ones..." Zhou Xian said coldly. "But the less intelligent mutated creatures nearby will only beco even more irritable and dangerous!"
Zhou Zong blanked, clearly not having considered this angle.
"Also, once you're out of the city, keep your head down and behave. Stop obsessing over that refugee," Zhou Xian warned, staring intensely at his foolish son.
"Why?" Zhou Zong was bewildered.
"Don't ask why!" Zhou Xian scolded impatiently. "Just listen to !"
Zhou Zong left unwillingly. Zhou Xian's expression fluctuated between dark and clear. 'Should I pin it on him? It really is a perfect opportunity, but...'
...
Early that morning, the plaza at the main entrance of Nanfeng Academy was packed with people, buzzing with endless chatter.
Afraid of any unexpected mishaps, Su Chen had arrived very early. He stood observing the City Patrol Guards in front of him.
The armor they wore provided far more coverage than that of the Supervision Guards. It was a cold, desolate black, and the weapons slung across their bodies were of a much higher quality.
A rough estimate placed their numbers at only fifty or sixty, but a chilling aura of slaughter washed over the crowd, instilling a deep sense of oppression.
The Supervision Departnt, the City Patrol Departnt, and the Exploration Departnt were the three main violent organizations of Nanfeng City.
The Supervision Departnt managed internal affairs within the city, while the City Patrol Departnt handled daily security and external patrols.
The Exploration Departnt was the most secretive of all, responsible for exploring the most treacherous areas outside the city, as well as the ruins.
They answered directly to the City Lord. Rumor had it that every single mber was an elite professional, with no shortage of second-tier or even third-tier experts among their ranks.
"It's ti for another city patrol... Tsk, tsk, have the City Patrol Guards updated their equipnt again?"
"We're quite lucky this ti. A powerful professional just passed through," soone remarked with envy.
"It's not that simple..." an older-looking student shook his head, a hint of sorrow in his eyes.
Casualties during city patrols were extrely rare because all standard requirents were significantly reduced. Regular patrols were required to go at least five to ten kiloters outside the city, whereas the students only needed to patrol at a distance of about three kiloters, keeping the inherent danger quite low.
However, there was always the unavoidable what-if.
The leader of the City Patrol Guards at the front wore a cold, hard expression, standing in place like a stone sculpture.
A short while later, the crowd parted to form a narrow path, revealing a familiar face.
"Old Bai?" Su Chen murmured in surprise from within the crowd. The newcor was indeed Bai Fengxi. She wore an indifferent expression, looking utterly aloof and unapproachable.
"She's going out of the city too?" Su Chen had not expected this and muttered, "She's older than , though."
City patrols happened in batches every three months. He was originally supposed to be in the next batch but had been moved up to this one.
People continued to arrive one after another, both male and female. Su Chen did not recognize the vast majority of them. Most wore expressions of fear and apprehension.
They quickly sought out people they knew, instinctively huddling together to form small cliques. A few even attempted to strike up a conversation with Bai Fengxi, but received absolutely no response.
"Su Chen?" Bai Fengxi caught sight of Su Chen sneaking into the crowd and was equally surprised.
Seeing the normally aloof Bai Fengxi actually initiate a conversation, many people imdiately turned their gazes toward Su Chen.
Although he was quite handso, he certainly was not one of the academy's famous figures.
"Him? Isn't that Teacher Jiang He's kept boy?"
"He looks a bit more handso in person than in the recordings..."
So people recognized him and began whispering among themselves.
Su Chen was utterly speechless. He didn't know if it was just his imagination, but it felt like even the leader of the City Patrol Guards had spared him a glance.
Was Jiang He's influence really that massive?
"Excuse , coming through..." Another person arrived, instantly drawing even more attention.
Although the weather was not particularly hot, this girl was dressed quite revealingly. Her specifically tailored clothes accentuated her graceful curves, and the crowd's eyes bobbed up and down following her every movent.
Even Su Chen stole a couple of glances, silently marveling at her extraordinary talents.
"Ah, Big Sister Bai..." she exclaid with a look of pleasant surprise, jogging over toward Bai Fengxi.
Su Chen saw clearly that the girl's gaze swept right past him without the slightest intention of greeting him, instead pressing herself close to Bai Fengxi.
"Tsk..." Su Chen took a step back, putting a bit more distance between himself and the two girls.
"Ah, Big Brother Zhou..." the exceptionally talented girl called out again, waving her hand in the air.
'This guy is actually here too?' Su Chen was even more surprised when he saw Zhou Zong erging from the crowd.
"Zhou Zong? Why is he here? I rember he went out once a year ago. He was even in the sa batch as ," soone in the crowd muttered. Su Chen's eyes flickered slightly.
Zhou Zong's footsteps hesitated, but he still made his way toward Bai Fengxi. The mory of her telling him to scram twice last ti still left a lingering shadow in his mind.
"Ti's up! Roll call!"
The leader of the City Patrol Guards suddenly barked, his sharp gaze instantly silencing the crowd. He pulled out the roster and quickly completed the head count. No one dared to be negligent; everyone was present. Their total numbers were roughly equal to that of the City Patrol Guards.
Everyone wore a backpack containing tents, food, and other necessary supplies.
"Move out," he commanded concisely. Setting up their formation, the City Patrol Guards positioned themselves at the front and rear, sandwiching the students in the middle.
"Hold on..."
However, before they could even leave the academy grounds, they were stopped at the gates by the Supervision Guards. "Routine inspection."
Hu Xiang stared at the man in front of him, his brows tightly furrowed. "Inspect what?"
"No comnt," the man replied expressionlessly.
"We are under orders to conduct a city patrol outside the walls."
"We are under orders to inspect every single person leaving the academy."
"La Ding, we just got here and have been standing in the plaza right under your nose this whole ti, and you still want to inspect us? Are you saying you're blind? Or are you specifically targeting ?!" Hu Xiang knew the man, and his tone was decidedly unfriendly.
The City Patrol Guards behind him simultaneously took a step forward.
La Ding nodded seriously. "We must inspect."
For a mont, the atmosphere grew incredibly tense. So students, eager for a show, edged closer.
Wherever there are people, there are politics. A chain of contempt existed among the three major violent organizations, and the Supervision Departnt, responsible solely for internal security, was undoubtedly at the very bottom.
"Captain Ding!"
A deep, resonant voice echoed from behind as a middle-aged man appeared out of nowhere.
"Vice Principal Zhou?" La Ding looked at the newcor.
"The city patrol is a matter of routine duty. Do not delay them," Zhou Xian said in a low voice.
"But Minister Yuan said..." La Ding hesitated.
"Tracks were found over there. Minister Yuan is currently investigating and cannot make it in ti. I ca specifically because I feared a conflict might break out between you all..." Zhou Xian pondered for a mont. "How about this? Skip inspecting the City Patrol Guards. In broad daylight, with so many eyes watching, they should be fine."
"Just inspect the students. Don't take too long; as long as you confirm they aren't using disguises, it's fine."
La Ding's expression shifted before he looked at the cold, unyielding face of Hu Xiang and nodded helplessly.
This ti, Hu Xiang did not stop them. The Supervision Guards stepped forward and inspected the students one by one for a while. Once finished, they opened the temporary transparent shield covering the entire academy and allowed them to leave.
"Captain Hu, I will leave things in your hands this ti." Outside the academy, Zhou Xian spoke intimately with Hu Xiang.
Among the students, many gazes frequently swept over Zhou Zong.
Basking in the envy, jealousy, and resentnt hidden within those looks, Zhou Zong stole a glance at the silent Su Chen and could not help but sneer inwardly.
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