Mu Ningxue blankly wiped the filth from her face, then fled into the bathroom as if escaping.
"The road ahead is long and full of trials…"
Zhou Haoyu's lips curled into a smile. These kinds of things had to be taken step by step.
Now that this step had been accepted, could the next one be far behind?
Feeling refreshed, Zhou Haoyu began thinking about the next phase of his plan.
"I've definitely attracted Mu He's suspicion by now. I need to be extremely careful going forward."
Zhou Haoyu's expression turned serious. In his eyes, Yu'ang wasn't worth a second glance. The real threat was Mu He—this mid-tier boss.
Zhou Haoyu wasn't too concerned about a direct confrontation, but Mu He specialized in the Curse Element, which made him hard to guard against.
But Bo City was merely an experimental ground. Mu He probably wouldn't act rashly at most, he'd send a few Black Robes or Gray Robes to assassinate him.
Compared to Mu He, Zhou Haoyu figured Yu'ang was more likely to make a move against him.
If the opportunity presented itself, Zhou Haoyu wouldn't mind dealing with Yu'ang during the Bo City calamity.
If Yu'ang were killed, Mu Zhuoyun would simply assume he died in the disaster, and the Tribunal wouldn't investigate a dead member of the Black Vatican.
No matter the world, many people tend to vent their anger on the murderer's family.
It's unavoidable. Some people truly need a place to vent, but more often they're just following the mob with a keyboard.
Before anything happened, Zhou Haoyu had to prepare thoroughly.
As for Mu He, Zhou Haoyu hadn't yet planned to kill him for two reasons.
Mu He was at least a high-level mage specializing in the Curse Element. If they really fought, relying on just spiritual force wouldn't be safe enough.
More importantly, killing Mu He would mean going to war with the Black Vatican.
Yu'ang was just a minor pawn, and after the Bo City incident, he'd be of no further use. Killing him wouldn't matter. But Mu He was a deacon in Black Vatican.
If Mu He were killed, it would definitely disrupt the Black Vatican's plans in the Ancient Capital and trigger their insane revenge.
So if he was going to kill Mu He, it had to be done in the Ancient Capital; otherwise, it could even implicate Zhou Haoyu's own family.
The Next Morning.
"Nephew, I need to greet a few guests. Why don't you and Ningxue come along?"
Early in the morning, Mu Zhuoyun brought Yu'ang to Zhou Haoyu's door.
Today was Yu'ang's coming-of-age ceremony. Most importantly, there would be a magic duel in the morning which would determine who gained access to the Earth Holy Spring for cultivation.
To show off the Mu family's status, Mu Zhuoyun had invited all of Bo City's big names.
But compared to Zhou Haoyu, these people weren't really "big" at all.
Mu Zhuoyun had come early to personally invite Zhou Haoyu mostly to boost his own prestige.
"Just so happens I have nothing to do. I'll come along with Uncle."
Zhou Haoyu had been wondering how to meet these people, and now the opportunity presented itself he could also check out some new treasure chests.
Mu Ningxue wasn't really interested in these things, but out of respect for her father, she could only go along with Zhou Haoyu.
They arrived at the manor gates, where the servants had already lined up in two rows to welcome the arriving guests.
"Principal Zhu, I didn't expect you to be the first to arrive!"
Upon seeing a middle-aged man, Mu Zhuoyun laughed heartily and went to greet him.
Principal Zhu didn't look pleased. Mo Fan was a student of their Tianlan High School and was supposed to duel Yu'ang today. Truthfully, he didn't have much confidence.
Zhou Haoyu looked at the few large treasure chests before him, the corners of his lips curling upward.
[Unlock Condition: Survive the Bo City Calamity.]
This was Principal Zhu's chest.
[Unlock Condition: Save He Yu.]
This was a skinny student's treasure chest. Most likely, it belonged to Mo Fan's close friend, Zhang Xiaohou.
[Unlock Condition: Ensure he does not fall into the Dark Plane within five years.]
This was a handsome student's chest. Presumably, it belonged to the green-tea guy Mu Bai.
[Unlock Condition: Kill twenty Black Vatican members.]
Zhou Haoyu's gaze froze on a black-haired student. This unlock condition was directly related to the Black Vatican.
In the original novel, Xu Zhaoting died at the hands of the Black Vatican. This black-haired student was most likely Xu Zhaoting.
Seeing these four treasure chests, Zhou Haoyu couldn't help but feel lucky. If he hadn't come to Bo City, he probably would've missed out on at least two of them.
Principal Zhu would die in this calamity, and once he did, his chest would vanish too.
As for Zhang Xiaohou's chest, Zhou Haoyu wasn't sure if the unlock condition would refresh if He Yu died.
All in all, these two chests weren't hard to unlock he just had to focus on getting them open first.
"Principal Zhu, let me introduce you. This is Young Master Zhou Haoyu from the Zhou Family of the Imperial Capital."
"He, just like Ningxue, is a student at the Imperial Capital Magic University, and he already became a mid-tier mage last year."
Mu Zhuoyun deliberately pulled Principal Zhu over to Zhou Haoyu, introducing him with a hint of pride.
"Mid-tier… last year?!"
Principal Zhu and the students behind him all widened their eyes. This person looked only eighteen or nineteen didn't that mean he reached the mid-tier level at just seventeen?
That was insane!
"The Imperial Capital Magic University truly is filled with geniuses."
Principal Zhu sighed in admiration. He had seen quite a bit of the world and understood that even within major families, reaching the mid-tier at seventeen was exceedingly rare.
To have entered the Imperial Capital Magic University at that age, he must possess some extraordinary talent.
"Principal Zhu, may I come to your school to exchange and learn for a few days?" Zhou Haoyu took the initiative to ask.
The moment he said this, Principal Zhu's brow furrowed slightly, thinking to himself: with talent like yours, what could you possibly want to learn from us?
"Mu Bai, is this guy planning to find an excuse to humiliate us?" Zhao Kunsan whispered to Mu Bai beside him.
In Zhao Kunsan's view, they were all just beginner-Tier Level-2 mages—what could an elite from the Imperial Capital Magic University possibly learn from them?
"Probably not…" Mu Bai was also unsure of this person's intentions. In fact, he kept feeling like this guy was watching him.
"Young Master Zhou, the National Magic College Entrance Exam is approaching. It might be best not to disturb their focus on cultivation."
Principal Zhu spoke very tactfully he didn't want to offend a noble heir from the capital.
"A pity. There are only a few days left before the college entrance exam. I was going to lend you all my Soul-grade Stardust Magic Tool for a few days," Zhou Haoyu said with a helpless shake of his head.
He now had all three elements at the mid-tier level, so the Stardust Magic Tool wasn't much use to him anymore. Lending it for training wouldn't hurt.
"Soul-grade Stardust Magic Tool!"
Everyone's jaws nearly hit the floor. They rarely even got to use a Common-grade Stardust Magic Tool, barely ever saw a Spirit-grade one, and as for Soul-grade—that was completely beyond their reach.
Behind Mu Zhuoyun, Yu'ang's eyes revealed a hint of madness. If he could get his hands on a Soul-grade Stardust Magic Tool, it wouldn't take him long to break through to the mid-tier level.