Mu Jingfeng stared coldly at Mu Qingyun's livestream. By all logic, she should not be this strong—so why had she grown so powerful?
"Old Zhou, tell me, why is she this strong?" he asked, gazing up at the man standing respectfully before him. His tone carried a hint of helplessness.
He truly could not understand.
"Perhaps... a genetic mutation?" Old Zhou hesitated before offering the safest possible explanation.
Mu Jingfeng said nothing in response. Instead, he casually picked up a fountain pen and scribbled something down, then handed the note to Old Zhou.
"Summon these people. Tell them the Empire is holding a banquet and they're invited."
He rubbed his brow, clearly tired. "Make sure they all come—tonight."
Tonight?
Old Zhou's eyes flickered subtly as he glanced at the time on his wristwatch. "Your Majesty, might that be a little too sudden?"
"Just do your job. No unnecessary talk." Mu Jingfeng shot him a sharp glance, his voice tinged with impatience.
Old Zhou didn't dare argue further. He nodded quickly, took the note, and hurried off to gather the necessary people.
The last 20 virtual points?Mu Jingfeng frowned.It needed to end.There was no way he would allow Mu Qingyun to succeed.
The morning sun bathed the land. A new day had begun.
Mu Qingyun opened her eyes and stepped out of the house, feeling refreshed. To her surprise, everyone else was already awake.
"You're all up already?" She blinked in surprise. "No one needed a wake-up call today?"
"Mu-ge, just 20 more points and I can finally go home!" Xiong Ruoyou beamed with joy, tilting her head back. "I miss home so much—I could fly there right now if I could!"
"You were supposed to stay a few more months, take it easy," Fan Xuanye muttered, glancing at her with exasperation.
Xiong Ruoyou pouted, lifting her chin proudly. "You're just jealous."
"Jealous? Of what, exactly? That you're slow? That you're unscathed? Or that you're... unfortunate-looking?" Fan Xuanye's eyes twinkled with amusement, but his words were cutting.
"You! Fan Xuanye!"
Predictably, the two started bickering again—well, more accurately, Xiong Ruoyou launched an assault while Fan Xuanye simply defended himself without retaliating.
[Heh, I suddenly think they actually make a cute couple.][A sharp-tongued snake and a dumb bear. They do sort of match.]
"Idiots," Kazel muttered under his breath as he glanced at them.
"What idiots? It's fine," Su leaned back, casually watching Mu Qingyun. "Is that not what makes life enjoyable? People laughing, people playing. No need to overthink it."
"Yes, yes, of course, General. You're always right," Kazel replied absentmindedly, not really interested in arguing. His gaze remained fixed on Mu Qingyun.
Mu Qingyun simply sat quietly and watched the others mess around, a flicker of envy passing through her heart. In her previous life, she had once gone incognito among the common folk and witnessed many tales of romance and familial affection.
The world envied royalty. Everyone wished to be a royal prince or princess, seeing only the luxury—the guards, the maids, the absolute authority.
But they never saw the blood-soaked throne behind that power, nor the ruthless battles between siblings.
To enjoy wealth and peace in the palace, one had to survive the Empress's palace schemes and fend off the backstabbing of their own brothers. Truly, a bitter life.
After a bit more bickering, the group finally prepared to go out and hunt the last twenty virtual creatures.
Strangely, despite traveling far and wide that morning—and even bringing along several "charcoal bombs"—Mu Qingyun didn't see a single virtual creature.
Meanwhile, Su received a message from the professor.
"Qiluo, the system suddenly malfunctioned. For some reason, no virtual creatures are able to spawn today," the professor said with a deep frown. "Also, regarding what you asked me to investigate—I think I found something."
"Your successor seems to have offended someone important—the Emperor. Last night, the Emperor invited many military school officials to a banquet. I suspect... it's because of your student."
The Emperor?
Su looked toward the coastline, where Kazel stood gazing silently into the water.
He spoke softly. "We're only twenty away, Professor. Please, help me."
"It's not that I do not want to help," the professor sighed, clearly frustrated. "But everyone's turning a blind eye to what's happening today. There's really nothing I can do."
Damn it.
Su's eyes turned cold. He loathed these so-called high-ranking officials. The military academy was supposed to be autonomous, outside of imperial control. And yet, for the sake of personal interest, they would still abandon their principles.
Worse still, they never cared who paid the price—whether it was a current cadet or someone who might become the future's greatest hope.
"Professor, get in touch with Yi Beixuan," Su said, eyes narrowing. At this point, Yi Beixuan was his only shot.
"Alright. Beixuan—Qiluo wants to talk to you," the professor called out. A distant voice answered, and soon, footsteps approached.
"What's up, Qiluo?" Yi Beixuan asked cheerfully. "Heard you're finishing today—want me to pick you up?"
"I need your help, or I won't get out today," Su said seriously. "Find me a hacker. I need someone to break into the academy system and spawn twenty virtual creatures."
"Huh? What do you mean?" Yi Beixuan sounded genuinely confused. "You need to hack the academy?"
"I will explain everything once I'm out. Just help me, please."
"Alright, alright, I'll go find someone," Yi Beixuan replied, hanging up.
But after ending the call, he didn't immediately look for a hacker. Instead, he narrowed his eyes, as if pondering something deeply.
"What is it? What did Qiluo want?" the professor asked.
"Nothing, just a small matter," Yi Beixuan smiled and then walked off to find someone.
Meanwhile, Su put away the communicator. Kazel finally turned toward him.
"Done," Su said as he stepped up beside Kazel, both gazing down into the water.
"General, will you choose Mu Qingyun as your protégé?" Kazel suddenly asked. At the military academy, each general could choose one cadet to mentor personally.
"We'll see."
Su didn't give a clear answer. Truthfully, he did want to train Mu Qingyun—but to get those virtual points, he had made a deal with the professor. Once the first phase ended, he might not even have time.
"ROAR—"
Suddenly, a loud beastly roar echoed from behind them. Su and Kazel instinctively turned.
Standing not far away, a majestic snow-white lion held its head high, staring directly at them.