Chapter Ninety-Three: "Never Turn Back" Officially Begins!

With a dark expression, Mu You scrubbed the weapon known as Nuclear Blast for a full ten minutes. Under the merciless assault of countless disinfectants and detergents, it finally revealed its true form.

Mu You had originally assumed that, being an imperial weapon, it must be some highly advanced, cutting-edge armament, forged from the finest new materials. Who could have imagined that, once restored to its original appearance, Nuclear Blast would actually be made of wood? Upon its surface flowed naturally formed patterns of lightning and flame, with not the slightest trace of artificial workmanship. It felt solid and weighty in the hand, yet gleamed with the luster of jade.

What an extraordinary material.

In order to discover how to use Nuclear Blast, Mu You deliberately searched for information on imperial weapons. He discovered that even among imperial weapons there were tiers and ranks. The lowest were already modern imperial weapons of level five, while some ancient weapons were even ranked level seven, far beyond what Mu You’s current authority could access.

Still, he could retrieve some basic information. For example, imperial weapons were divided by type. The most common were offensive weapons, while defensive weapons were relatively rare. There were also exceptional classes such as massacre-type weapons like the Romance Cannon, whose destructive power could shake heaven and earth. Even more extreme were single-soldier ultimate weapons, soul weapons, and others besides. Above imperial weapons there were also composite imperial weapons. As the name suggested, every component of a composite imperial weapon could itself be honored as an imperial weapon. The battle power of such a level was far beyond ordinary imagination.

Across the trial bases of Central Continent, there were only forty-eight weapons worthy of the imperial title. Rumor had it that sixteen years ago, when Mu You was born, a world-level catastrophe had occurred. In that disaster, twenty-six imperial weapons were damaged and seven were lost; only fifteen were currently recorded.

After learning all this, Mu You could not help feeling a little envious of Xuan Yao’s luck. Weapons of this caliber could not be used merely by possessing them; they had to recognize their master of their own accord. Otherwise, no matter how great your abilities were, you could not stir an imperial weapon even the slightest bit.

A massacre-type imperial weapon, then. At the very least, it had to be level six or above.

Looking at Nuclear Blast in his hands, Mu You pondered for a moment, then actually tore open the muscle over his chest and set it into the very center of his breast. Pain followed at once, then the repulsion of foreign matter. He waited a long time before the flesh gradually adapted to Nuclear Blast, and the wound slowly began to heal.

“Big brother, what are you doing...”

Seeing this, Mou You was greatly startled. Mu You was already sweating from the pain, and he did not dare interrupt him. Only when his expression finally improved a little did she ask with great concern.

“There’s no other choice. This is a prison, so there’s nowhere to hide anything. I can only... bury it inside my body to make it absolutely safe. I was injured on the left side of my chest before, and my ribs are slightly misaligned, so it just so happens that there’s room to hide it there.”

Mu You gave Mou You a helpless, bitter smile.

“Oh yes, how is the Midnight Soul-Severing Worm?”

“Of course I’m watching it closely. That thing is incredibly powerful. It is a high-level lifeform created by a monster far stronger than I am, but in essence, like that monster, it is also a spirit body. For now I can still suppress it completely, only...” As she said this, Mou You seemed to realize something and grew a little shy and uncertain.

“What is it?”

Mu You felt a faint premonition of something bad.

“Rather than worrying about the worm, I’m more worried about big brother’s body.”

Mou You bit her lip, and a trace of anxiety flickered across her adorable little face.

Mu You froze slightly, then signaled for her to continue.

“Big brother’s constitution is extremely special. There are two entirely opposite powers within your body, yet both are so noble that they make one tremble. I can suppress the worm’s awakening, but I cannot stop it from altering and developing your constitution. One of those powers has already awakened; it’s the spirit language you’re using now. The other is coming soon too... In addition, something is sealed within your limbs and between your brows. Even with my current strength, I cannot investigate it. It’s as if it has been completely obscured, blocking me, and blocking the Midnight Soul-Severing Worm as well.”

Hearing this, Mu You recalled how the worm had once mentioned to him that his constitution was extremely special.

The center of the brow, the limbs, and the awakened power of the Flame Phoenix on the left side of his chest...

Mu You suddenly remembered that when he had once been driven into a desperate corner by Lord Zun and his ability awakened, those very places had grown searing hot, as if something were about to burst out of his body. At that time, the power of the Flame Phoenix in his left chest had awakened only when he was on the verge of death. This time, he absolutely had to make full preparations so he would not lose more than he gained.

“Big brother, Mou You is very tired. It seems the time I can appear each day is still limited by the final punishment. I’m going to sleep first~~~”

Mou You yawned a huge yawn, then vanished without a trace.

Mu You also lay back with his head tilted, staring at the mottled shadows of the trees outside the window, and closed his eyes.

Never Turn Back, I, Mu You... have arrived.

...

Cloudy skies, heavy rain, and bone-deep cold winds.

Today was the first day of classes at the Academy of Perfection. The first lesson of the S-rank exchange project Never Turn Back: solitary confinement breeding desire.

When Mu You went out in the morning, he saw An Ruxiang and Jing Fei already waiting outside. The two stood at attention, fully prepared, only to watch Mu You stagger out half-awake, shirtless, putting on his clothes as he walked. They exchanged a helpless glance and followed closely behind.

The great explosion three days ago felt as though it had happened long ago. Now, when everyone once again stood upon the rooftop, it was perfectly intact, as if nothing had ever happened before.

The instant Mu You stepped onto the rooftop from the observation deck of Building A, he felt the noisy din there drop sharply. Although no one looked directly at him, that faint, ever-present sense of being watched had become stronger than ever before.

“Boss Mu You!”

The others from Building A, seeing that Mu You had arrived, surged forward at once. Mu You saw He Jing, Xu Chen, Wan Yanzang, the one-eyed convict, Hu Lei, and Xuan Yao grouped together, while the remaining dangerous convicts from the other floors formed another group.

“Once the exchange project begins, do everything you can to protect yourselves. Do not act on impulse. After we gather in solitary confinement breeding desire, we’ll advance and retreat together. By then, I hope to see every one of you still standing here.”

Mu You slowly swept his gaze across the crowd, his expression more serious than ever before.

Seeing this, everyone nodded hard. In each other’s eyes there was a steadfast trust in one another.

Seeing that, Mu You finally let out a breath of relief.

It seemed only under the pressure of life and death could everyone’s hearts grow so close, because in the very next moment, the person beside you might vanish completely from this world.

At that thought, Mu You showed no trace of disappointment. Instead, his fighting spirit rose like a drawn blade, his arrogance sweeping across in all directions.

At worst, he would go berserk again. He would like to see what kind of demons and monsters this time the Convict Paradise had arranged. Whoever stood in his way would be slaughtered to the last.