Even in the Shadow Concealment State, Qing Lei still felt like he was being watched by everyone, a very unpleasant sensation. However, just after leaving the crowd of ordinary students, they realized the number of gazes hadn’t diminished much. Looking up, Mu Chen discovered that countless attribute martial artists had also begun to gather and watch them.

"Isn’t that Mu Chen?" a student asked the one next to him.

"I think that’s him. What’s he doing here?" The student next to him sounded sure, yet mostly confused.

"During his fight with Kong Ye Ming last time, I think he used Ice Attribute Primordial Power. He must be switching dorms," another student chimed in.

The students’ chatter spread, making Mu Chen even more dismayed. It was one thing to be stared at out there, but here, he was not only being watched but also gossiped about. ’This feeling... it doesn’t seem very friendly,’ he thought.

Just as they were stuck in their predicament, a gentle voice sounded from behind Mu Chen.

"Captain Mu Chen?"

Mu Chen turned toward the voice and saw Mo Qing in a long academy dress. The girl standing beside her was, of course, Ye Shuangshuang.

Both of their faces were still covered in gruesome wounds, but Mu Chen and the others were already used to it. Little Tiger greeted them warmly, and Mu Chen rubbed his nose and said, "Er, it seems we’ve run into a bit of a problem..."

Mu Chen’s expression and words made Ye Shuangshuang burst into laughter. "Haha, are you lost? Oh, Captain Mu Chen. You must have been transferred to the attribute martial artist dorms."

Qing Lei and Little Tiger nodded at the same time. Ye Shuangshuang continued, "Hmm... Well, tell me your dorm numbers, and I’ll take you there."

Ye Shuangshuang’s lively personality hadn’t changed at all over the half-month break. Mo Qing, on the other hand, just greeted Mu Chen and then fell silent, standing there quietly. Mu Chen didn’t look closely, but if he had, he would have noticed a hint of joy in Mo Qing’s eyes.

Mu Chen took out his key and said, "I think they’re two-oh-three, two-oh-four, and two-oh-five."

"This..." Hearing the dorm numbers, Ye Shuangshuang and Mo Qing looked surprised. Mu Chen didn’t understand. "What’s wrong?" he asked. 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

"It seems... we live on the same floor."

Ye Shuangshuang was both stunned and a little happy. The Imperial Academy’s attribute martial artist dormitories weren’t separated by gender. Since attribute martial artists lived in individual rooms, it was just like being neighbors.

"And we’re neighbors, too."

Mo Qing chuckled lightly. Her dorm was number two-oh-two, separated from Mu Chen’s two-oh-three by only a single wall. There were six dorm rooms per floor, and Mo Qing and Ye Shuangshuang lived on the highest floor. Originally, no one else lived on this floor besides the two of them. Now, with the addition of Mu Chen and his friends, the floor finally wouldn’t feel so empty.

In the attribute martial artist dorms, the academy had a hands-off management policy. If you wanted to get into a relationship, the academy wouldn’t interfere. But if you did anything to bring shame to the academy, then sorry, your punishment would be far more severe than just expulsion. Thus, under the academy’s warnings, no incidents violating moral or ethical codes had occurred to date.

Hearing this, Mu Chen was slightly taken aback; he clearly hadn’t expected men and women could live on the same floor. After a quick word to Mu Chen, Ye Shuangshuang led the three of them upstairs. The students they met on the stairs all shied away. They weren’t avoiding Mu Chen, of course, but Ye Shuangshuang and Mo Qing. The two girls’ ugly faces were infamous in the high-level dorms. Outwardly, everyone just showed some reluctance in their actions, but behind their backs, the two of them were a frequent topic of the students’ private conversations.

"That guy Mu Chen really has some intense tastes." As Mu Chen’s back gradually disappeared, the sound of gossip rose again.

"Heh, what the hell do you know? I heard that during the freshman trial, Mu Chen didn’t even look for anyone else, he went straight for those two ugly freaks."

"Really? Sounds like he’s not right in the head..."

"Great minds think alike."

The students’ gossip seemed quiet, but how could it escape Mu Chen’s Spiritual Detection? Ever since his Spiritual Power had been refined by the Golden Bean from the Golden Dragon Scripture, his Spiritual Detection range had more than doubled from four thousand meters. A casual scan could now pick up any disturbance within an eight-thousand-meter radius.

However, upon hearing this gossip, Mu Chen only frowned for a moment before his expression relaxed. With his temperament, he would never do anything rash because of their words. It was like an adult not bothering to argue with a child who insults him.

They continued climbing floor after floor until they reached the sixth floor, the top floor of this high-level dormitory building, where they finally stopped. At the top of the stairs was a long, narrow hallway. The hallway was about five meters wide and a hundred meters long, making the space feel extremely vast. On the left were six widely-spaced doors, and on the right, there were also six widely-spaced doors. However, the doors on the left were marked with student dorm numbers, while the ones on the right were marked "Training Room." A single glance was all it took to understand.

"These are your dorms," Ye Shuangshuang said after leading them up the stairs. She stopped before the first door and pointed. "Room two-hundred, closest to the stairs, is empty. Two-oh-one is my room, and two-oh-two is Sister Mo Qing’s. Yours are the three rooms after that."

"Mm, the training rooms across the hall are for our daily Cultivation. The rooms themselves are heavily shielded to block out most external factors that might interfere with one’s training."

It was Mo Qing who spoke. This was the first time Mu Chen had heard her say so many words at once. Her voice was incredibly soft and gentle, soothing to listen to. Paired with the sweet and graceful aura she constantly exuded, she seemed nothing like the ugly girl she appeared to be.

Mu Chen had wondered if Mo Qing was using some kind of Illusion Technique or a mask-like disguise to alter her appearance. He secretly activated his Purple Sky Demon Pupils, but to his dismay, Mo Qing’s face remained the same.

’Could I have been wrong?’ Shaking his head slightly, Mu Chen could only push the thought from his mind.

"The rooms are fully furnished. You can go check out your own rooms first," Ye Shuangshuang suggested, seeing them all standing there in a daze.

Little Tiger had been standing there with his mouth agape and a stunned expression ever since entering the high-level dorm, unable to utter a single word. Qing Lei, on the other hand, was the young master of a great clan and had seen all kinds of decor, so he appeared much calmer. He just hadn’t said a word since they arrived.

Mu Chen nodded, used his key to open room two-oh-three, and stepped inside. Upon entering, even the ever-composed Mu Chen was visibly stunned.

The room was absurdly large, at least two hundred square meters, and this was just a single room. It was a scene of powdered jade and intricate carvings, with golden tables and jade chairs. The level of luxury was no less than that of the second floor of the cafeteria. Coming from the ordinary dorms, he found it difficult to adapt to the immense difference.

"Whoa! This place is awesome!"

Over on his side, Little Tiger had already let out a roar of delight. His shock was clearly far greater than Mu Chen’s. Qing Lei didn’t make a sound after entering his room, but the look on his face the moment he stepped inside showed that he, too, was stunned.

Mo Qing and Ye Shuangshuang looked at each other and smiled. Ye Shuangshuang called out to the three of them from across the hallway, "You should hurry up, wash up, and get some rest. Instructor Ling Yun is going to talk about class assignments tonight. You have to be there, or you’ll be kicked out of the special class."

"Okay!"

Little Tiger’s voice was the loudest, almost drowning out Mu Chen’s and Qing Lei’s. It sounded as if he had answered for all three of them. After that, all three doors closed at the same time. They had probably gone to wash up.

Mu Chen put down the Profound Jade Box and walked toward the window. It was a huge window, its clean glass as clear and sparkling as a diamond. Outside, fluffy white clouds drifted across the blue sky. Mu Chen loved the sky, loved the clouds, and loved the feeling of being Free and Unrestrained. Therefore, he also loved this room.

Gently pushing open the window, Mu Chen leaned out to look. Below was a natural lake. The clear water rippled faintly, shimmering. Around the lake were several quaint little pavilions, and small paths wound through the shade of the trees to meet the shore. The layout was as flawless as stars circling the moon.

’As expected of the high-level dorms.’ Mu Chen praised inwardly. The environment here was truly incredible.

"It’s beautiful, isn’t it? It’s even prettier here at night."

A gentle voice sounded by Mu Chen’s ear. He subconsciously turned his head and saw that it was Mo Qing. Like him, she was also leaning out of her window. Her black hair cascaded like ink beside her face. Her expression was calm, her eyes seeming to drift toward the distant horizon. Seen from the side, Mo Qing possessed a tranquil beauty, a beauty that resonated strongly with the entire lake.

Realizing he felt this way, Mu Chen’s heart suddenly trembled. This extreme sense of contradiction appeared in his mind once again. Seeing that Mu Chen hadn’t said anything, Mo Qing turned her head curiously to look at him. At the same time, Mu Chen saw Mo Qing’s face.

Thankfully, Mo Qing’s face was still covered in gruesome wounds. Mu Chen let out a breath and nodded. "Yes, it’s very beautiful. I really like this kind of peaceful environment. If I could, I’d hope to one day live as a hermit in a secluded paradise."

A look of infinite longing appeared on Mu Chen’s face, but he knew that to live a peaceful life, one needed immense strength. The stronger you were, the more capable you were of living that kind of life. ’Otherwise, if you can’t even protect yourself, how could you possibly maintain such a life?’

"Is that so? I feel the same way... But a life like that is probably not fated for me."

Mo Qing’s expression didn’t change in the slightest, but a faint sorrow could be seen in her eyes. What was she sad about? Mu Chen, of course, had no idea. The two of them just stood there together, gazing out the window at the peaceful scenery, both lost in a reverie of some kind. Yet, the scene they created seemed so harmonious.

An unknown amount of time passed before a breeze swept by. The cool, refreshing feeling startled Mu Chen from his thoughts. Mo Qing was startled as well. They glanced at each other, a hint of embarrassment on both their faces. They had said they were going to wash up, but ended up getting delayed for so long.

Mo Qing averted her gaze and said, "I’m going to wash up first. You should rest for a while this afternoon. See you tonight."