With that, Mu Chen turned, and with a Flash of Thunder from beneath his feet, he vanished before Mu Xiaotian and Mu Rongxuan. Gazing at the spot where Mu Chen had just stood, then back at the small pill in their hands, Mu Rongxuan and Mu Xiaotian found it to be inexplicably heavy.

When Mu Chen returned to his dormitory, he found the entire freshman dorm to be unusually quiet. Normally at this hour, it would be bustling with students coming and going, but today was strangely different.

Mu Chen pushed open the door and stepped inside, finding the room completely empty. Puzzled, he quickly ran to the dormitory entrance where a dorm manager, a rather elderly woman, was sitting in a rocking chair, sunbathing.

"Ma’am, excuse me, but where have all the freshmen gone today?"

Without opening her eyes, the old woman replied in a low, muffled voice, "The Weapon Pavilion."

Those three simple words made it click for Mu Chen. The freshman trials were tomorrow, so of course, everyone would be choosing their weapons. He, however, didn’t need one.

’Might as well go have a look.’ Feeling a little bored by himself, Mu Chen headed for the academy’s Weapon Pavilion.

The Weapon Pavilion was located at the very back of the academy, accessible by several paths. Mu Chen chose a more secluded route, which was more convenient for using his Illusory Step Technique. A few minutes later, a giant, black warehouse appeared before him. It was easily over ten meters tall, yet from the outside, it looked like a single-story building.

Mu Chen, however, had long grown accustomed to the academy’s eccentric style. The Weapon Pavilion was currently buzzing with a clamor of voices, though that was only at the entrance. It was probably much quieter inside, because a large sign hung above the doorway: "Silence Within."

The doors to the Weapon Pavilion were closed. On either side, two elders in yellow robes stood guard with their eyes closed, watching over the students waiting outside.

"They’re only letting ten people in at a time. This is taking forever!" a young man complained, wiping the sweat from his forehead. He glanced impatiently at the dozens of students still in front of him.

Mu Chen was standing right behind him. Hearing the young man’s complaint, he finally understood why the doors were closed. Seeing the long line, Mu Chen was tempted to give up and leave. Just then, a lazy voice called out to him.

"Well, if it isn’t Mu Chen. Are you here to pick a weapon too?"

Mu Chen turned toward the voice and saw Lingyun appear before him, dressed in sleek training clothes. "Oh, it’s Instructor Ling Yun."

"Hmph." Lingyun pouted and muttered, "I’m obviously your senior sister."

Her mutter was quiet, but Mu Chen still heard it, and his face darkened with exasperation. Seeing how many people were still lined up, Lingyun frowned, grabbed Mu Chen by the left arm, and started dragging him toward the door with all her might.

By the time Mu Chen instinctively tried to pull away, he realized he couldn’t break her grip no matter how much strength he used. And so, dragged along helplessly, he arrived at the entrance to the Weapon Pavilion. One of the elders opened his eyes, a sharp glint flashing within them. He glanced at Lingyun and chuckled. "Well, if it isn’t Instructor Ling Yun. What can I do for you?"

Lingyun nodded and smiled. "I need to take this fellow into the Weapon Pavilion." As she spoke, she pointed a thumb at the thoroughly embarrassed Mu Chen.

The elder smiled and shook his head. "You little rascal. Ever since you were a child, you’ve loved bending the rules. Now you’re being a bad influence on the students. *Sigh*, I’m getting old. I can’t control you anymore. Old Hei, let him in." 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

The elder named Old Hei nodded with a wry smile. The two of them made a simultaneous hand gesture, and the doors to the Weapon Pavilion swung open. With a shove of Lingyun’s Primordial Power, a bewildered Mu Chen was sent stumbling inside...

Seeing Mu Chen cut in front of so many people, everyone immediately began to protest.

"Hey, who’s that guy? Why does he get to go in first while we have to stand out here baking in the sun?"

"Yeah! We want to go in too! The academy is showing favoritism!"

"What about fairness? We demand equal treatment!"

Just then, Lingyun spun around, and an immense pressure instantly fell upon all the students. Their faces turned pale, and their Primordial Power churned chaotically. Lingyun sneered, "You want to talk about fair treatment? The Imperial Academy has never been about fairness! If you want special treatment, then work hard and get stronger. I know you’re not happy about this. Fine. When he comes out, feel free to challenge him. The winner will receive special treatment in all future events."

"Oh, and by the way, his name is Mu Chen. Make sure you don’t challenge the wrong person..." With that, Lingyun abruptly retracted her oppressive aura. She gave the students a charming wink, and then her figure flickered and vanished without a trace.

"I feel like I’ve seen that woman somewhere before," a student suddenly realized.

Another student immediately added, "I think she’s our head instructor. And that guy’s name is Mu Chen."

"Mu Chen? The freak who instantly killed an Eighth-Ring Great Martial Master as a Third-Ring Martial Master?!"

"That’s him! I saw he was carrying a long black case and has blue hair."

"Challenge him? Hell no! Let’s just wait in line obediently."

In an instant, everyone fell silent and accepted their fate. The guy was too powerful. If they couldn’t fight back, they had no choice but to endure. Their conversation, however, caused the two gatekeeping elders to reveal looks of astonishment. ’A Third-Ring Martial Master instantly killing an Eighth-Ring Great Martial Master?’ they thought. ’Is that even possible? Or are the students just exaggerating?’

While he was causing a storm outside, the man at the center of it all was currently observing his surroundings. The Weapon Pavilion truly lived up to its name. Sabers, spears, swords, halberds—all kinds of weapons were on display, including some unique and bizarrely shaped ones. The moment Mu Chen stepped inside, he was captivated by the dazzling array.

The other ten students who had entered with him were just as captivated. When they saw Mu Chen walk in, some of them shot him surprised glances. ’Weren’t only ten people supposed to enter at a time? Why are there eleven of us now?’ But after seeing what he was wearing, a few of them figured out what must have happened.

"Brother Mu Chen!"

Just then, a familiar, earnest voice called out. Mu Chen smiled faintly; he knew who it was without even having to look. "Little Tiger, how goes it? Did you find a suitable weapon?"

Little Tiger scratched his head. "Well, I found one, but it’s too light. There’s no heft to it when I swing it."

As he spoke, Little Tiger pulled a huge Double-Bladed Battleaxe from his Storage Ring. The axe had a 1.6-meter handle, and its twin blades spanned about a meter wide. The edges were incredibly sharp.

"It certainly looks imposing. What tier is this Battle Axe?"

"I think it’s Yellow Tier," Little Tiger said, eyeing the battleaxe with a resigned look.

Mu Chen smiled. "That’s still quite good. What about Qing Lei? Didn’t he come in with you?"

Little Tiger shook his head. "Qing Lei was already here. He chose his weapons quickly—a pair of short daggers."

"Oh? I must have missed him, then. I just came in to browse," Mu Chen said with a smile before starting to wander along the walls. All the weapons were neatly displayed with clear specifications for their length, type, and weight. For example, the Sorol Heavy Sword before him was the heaviest of all the Great Swords, weighing in at five hundred jin. It was 1.4 meters long and two palms-width wide. It looked impressive, but it wasn’t to Mu Chen’s taste.

He kept looking, but even after browsing nearly the entire Weapon Pavilion, he hadn’t found a single weapon he felt he could use. Just as he was about to turn and leave, the usually silent Broken Star suddenly began to stir violently within him. Their minds linked, and Mu Chen quickly sensed the reason for its agitation. ’There’s something important here.’

SHINK! The Shattered Star Lock Chain shot out from Mu Chen’s sleeve. He glanced left and right, and seeing that no one was paying him any mind, he stared intently at the chain. The bladed tip of the Shattered Star Lock Chain quivered slightly, pointing toward a specific direction. Mu Chen followed its gaze to a cluttered corner of the room. Piled on the floor was a heap of rusted scrap metal.

Focusing his thoughts, Mu Chen used his Spiritual Power to ask, ’Are you saying there’s something over there?’

The bladed tip of the Shattered Star Lock Chain bobbed up and down, as if nodding. Intrigued, Mu Chen slowly approached the pile. The heap of scrap was actually made of weapon fragments. He rummaged through several pieces, but the Shattered Star Lock Chain remained still. However, the moment he picked up a Rusted Dagger, the chain began to agitate violently once more.

’This one?’

Mu Chen was completely baffled. ’What possible use could a rusted dagger have?’ But trusting his Shattered Star Lock Chain, he picked it up without hesitation. Just then, Little Tiger walked over. Seeing the Rusted Dagger in his hand, he asked quizzically, "Brother Mu Chen, what are you doing with that busted old dagger?"

Mu Chen gave a helpless smile. "None of the weapons here really suit me, so I figured I’d just grab something as a souvenir. Let’s go, time to head back."

Seeing that the other nine students had already chosen their weapons, Little Tiger grinned and nodded. His simple, trusting nature prevented him from reading any deeper into Mu Chen’s words.

After they left the Weapon Pavilion, they had to register their selections outside. The elder at the registration desk let out a soft sound of surprise when he saw the dagger in Mu Chen’s hand. He then looked at Mu Chen with astonishment. "Are you sure you want this dagger?"

Mu Chen nodded. The elder shook his head. "To ignore so many fine weapons and pick a broken piece of junk... I’ll never understand the kids these days."

Muttering to himself, he wrote on the registration list: "First-year student, Mu Chen. Weapon claimed: one Rusted Dagger." Then, he waved for Mu Chen to be on his way. After placing the dagger into his Storage Ring, Mu Chen led Little Tiger back along the path they had come. Before they knew it, it was afternoon, which meant it was time to eat.

"Brother Mu Chen, I’m hungry. Should we go get something to eat?" Little Tiger said, rubbing his stomach sheepishly.

GROWL...

Before Mu Chen could reply, his own stomach rumbled in protest, reminding him that he had skipped both breakfast and lunch.

"Whoa, Brother Mu Chen’s stomach is growling too! Haha! Food, food, food!" Little Tiger cheered, grabbing Mu Chen and breaking into a run.

A faint blush crept onto Mu Chen’s face at Little Tiger’s teasing, and he picked up his pace to match. ’As for Qing Lei, he’ll probably make his own way there,’ he thought. The cafeteria drew closer and closer with every one of Little Tiger’s powerful strides. It was as if the mere mention of food gave him limitless energy.

Outside the cafeteria, everything was as it usually was. It was, after all, the most popular spot in the entire academy. But as he stepped through the doors, Mu Chen instantly saw that something was different on the first floor today. All the students—more than six hundred of them—were crowded into the southeast corner. The whole scene was rather... bizarre.