"Outsiders are not permitted to enter the academy."
A guard stepped forward and extended one arm, blocking Lin Mu and his companions before they could pass through the gates.
Ten thousand years had passed since Lin Mu had last stood here. Although he had not deliberately changed his appearance, there were few people in the present era who could recognize him at a glance. Even within the Elemental Academy, most only knew its legendary founder through ancient portraits, statues, and historical records.
Lin Mu did not blame the guard for stopping him. Instead, he calmly explained, "I am a teacher of this academy."
"A teacher?"
The guard looked at him suspiciously.
"Why have I never seen you before?"
His doubts were understandable. The Elemental Academy had strict security, and he had memorized the appearances of nearly every teacher who regularly entered through the main gate.
However, the guard did not immediately attempt to drive them away. Lin Mu's composed demeanor and extraordinary bearing clearly indicated that he was no ordinary soul master. The two women accompanying him were equally remarkable, while even the poorly dressed youth behind them possessed an unusual aura.
If Lin Mu truly was a teacher of the academy, offending him without first confirming his identity would be an extremely foolish mistake.
The guard adjusted his tone and asked, "Do you have anything that can prove your identity?"
Seeing how seriously the guard treated his responsibilities, Lin Mu felt both gratified and helpless.
The academy had clearly maintained its discipline throughout the past ten thousand years. Unfortunately, the strict rules established to protect it were now preventing its own founder from entering.
After a brief moment of consideration, Lin Mu retrieved a token he had not used in a very long time.
The token appeared simple at first glance, but its dark metallic surface was covered in ancient elemental patterns. At its center was an emblem representing the authority of the academy's dean.
It was the token Lin Mu had carried ten thousand years ago, when he had still personally governed the Elemental Academy.
However, so much time had passed that only a small number of people would still recognize it.
"This token…"
The guard accepted it carefully and examined both sides. His expression grew increasingly uncertain, but after a long inspection, he eventually shook his head.
"I have never seen a teacher carrying this kind of token."
Lin Mu frowned slightly.
He could easily reveal his identity or enter the academy without anyone being able to stop him. However, he had no intention of announcing his return to the entire continent.
At the very least, he did not want too many people to learn that he had descended from the God Realm.
Just as the situation reached an impasse, a middle-aged man emerged from inside the academy.
The man had a dignified appearance and walked with a steady, measured pace. The surrounding guards immediately straightened when they noticed him, but his attention was fixed entirely on the token in Lin Mu's hand.
The moment he saw its ancient emblem, his pupils contracted.
He had studied the oldest records of the Elemental Academy and had personally seen a preserved illustration of that token. According to the academy's archives, only one person in its entire history had possessed it.
The First Dean.
The middle-aged man's breathing became uneven. He looked from the token to Lin Mu's face, comparing the man before him with the ancient portraits stored in the academy's most secure historical hall.
Realization dawned on him, followed by barely restrained excitement.
He opened his mouth, intending to speak, but before any words could escape, Lin Mu's calm voice sounded directly inside his mind.
"Do not make a scene."
The middle-aged man immediately swallowed the words he had been about to shout. He steadied his breathing and gave Lin Mu an almost imperceptible nod.
The guard who had stopped Lin Mu quickly stepped aside and bowed respectfully to the newcomer.
"Greetings, Speaker."
Lin Mu was not surprised by the man's position. Someone capable of recognizing the token of the First Dean could not possibly be an ordinary member of the academy.
The position of Speaker belonged to the governing council Lin Mu had established during the academy's early years.
Although the dean was publicly regarded as the academy's highest authority, the dean primarily supervised its daily operations and handled ordinary administrative matters. Decisions that affected the academy's future were debated and decided by the council.
Each councilor possessed one vote, while the Speaker possessed two. The system had been created to prevent the academy from falling under the unchecked control of a single individual.
The Speaker turned toward the guards and spoke solemnly.
"These are distinguished guests whom I personally invited. From this day onward, they are permitted to enter and leave the Elemental Academy freely. No one is to obstruct them."
The guards exchanged startled glances.
They did not understand why the Speaker was granting such extraordinary privileges to several strangers, but none of them dared question his decision.
"Yes, Speaker," the guard replied immediately.
He returned the token to Lin Mu with both hands and stepped away from the gate.
"Esteemed guests, please enter."
Although the Speaker tried to maintain a calm and dignified expression, a trace of reverence still appeared in his eyes whenever he looked at Lin Mu.
The man before him possessed the personal token of the First Dean and closely resembled the figure depicted in the academy's oldest records.
There was only one reasonable explanation for his identity.
The legendary founder of the Elemental Academy had returned.
The guard had unknowingly stopped one of the greatest figures in the academy's history, yet Lin Mu had neither become angry nor used his authority to punish him. Instead, he had patiently cooperated with the inspection.
The Speaker silently admired such restraint.
Huo Yuhao, meanwhile, stared at the scene with shock and confusion.
The Speaker was clearly an important figure within the Elemental Academy, yet even he treated Lin Mu with unmistakable respect.
"Little Yuhao," Tian Meng's voice echoed through Huo Yuhao's spiritual sea, "this senior is very likely Lin Mu, the founder of both the Elemental Academy and the Wuji Sect ten thousand years ago."
Tian Meng had already returned to Huo Yuhao's spiritual sea. His previous appearance had been possible only because Lin Mu and the Ice Empress were present. He could not carelessly reveal himself in front of the academy's guards.
"I still don't understand why someone like him has descended to the mortal realm," Tian Meng continued.
In Tian Meng's view, a legendary figure who had already become a god should have no reason to remain among mortals.
However, the reality of the God Realm was different from what most mortal soul masters imagined.
Although it possessed divine energy, eternal life, and scenery beyond mortal comprehension, its unchanging nature could become unbearably monotonous. Many gods eventually grew tired of their endless duties and the loneliness that accompanied immortality.
Some, like the Sea God, had eagerly searched for successors so they could abandon their positions and travel beyond the God Realm.
Compared with them, Lin Mu's circumstances were far more convenient.
With the Asura Armor, he could travel between the God Realm and the mortal realm without much difficulty. His only meaningful limitation was that he needed reliable spatial coordinates before teleporting to a location he had never visited.
"Lin Mu?"
Huo Yuhao was shaken when he heard the name.
Even a child with little formal education had heard stories about the founder of the Elemental Academy. Lin Mu was a legendary figure whose influence had transformed the entire continent.
Huo Yuhao suddenly remembered how he had once gripped his White Tiger Dagger and considered resisting Lin Mu.
The memory filled him with embarrassment.
Had he actually tried to threaten a god with a small dagger?
"My mother once told me about him," Huo Yuhao said within his spiritual sea. His voice carried growing excitement. "Ten thousand years ago, the Dai family was still an imperial family. However, Lin Mu and the Empress of the Heaven Dou Empire suppressed them and reduced them to ordinary nobles."
The history his mother had told him was incomplete, but Huo Yuhao had never forgotten it. As an illegitimate descendant of the Dai family, he naturally remembered anything connected to its decline.
Tian Meng shook his head.
"Those old conflicts are not important to you."
His tone became unusually serious.
"You only need to understand one thing: if you truly want to become stronger, you must remain close to this powerful figure. Even the smallest opportunity he casually gives you may be something countless soul masters could never obtain in their entire lives."
Huo Yuhao frowned.
He did not like the idea of flattering someone merely to obtain benefits.
Lin Mu had already saved him, exposed Tian Meng's presence without harming either of them, and promised to admit him into the Elemental Academy. Huo Yuhao believed that asking for anything more would be shameless.
He wanted to grow stronger, but he did not want to achieve that goal by constantly begging others for favors.
Tian Meng sensed his resistance but chose not to argue further.
Huo Yuhao was still young. Tian Meng believed that the boy would eventually understand just how rare this opportunity was.
Under the Speaker's guidance, the group entered the Elemental Academy.
They passed through broad avenues lined with ancient trees, cultivation buildings, laboratories, libraries, and specially constructed training grounds. Soul tools operated throughout the campus, but they had been carefully incorporated into the academy's older architecture rather than replacing it completely.
Students from different backgrounds moved between the buildings. Some wore expensive clothing that revealed their noble origins, while others were dressed far more simply.
Despite those differences, they wore the same academy uniform.
Lin Mu quietly observed everything as they walked.
The Elemental Academy had changed greatly over ten thousand years, but the principles upon which he had founded it remained intact. Noble and commoner students still studied together, and talent continued to matter more than birth.
The sight left him pleased.
The Speaker personally led them through most of the academy, introducing the major facilities while carefully avoiding crowded areas. He understood that Lin Mu wished to conceal his identity, so he did not summon the dean, the councilors, or the academy's other senior officials.
Eventually, the group reached a secluded courtyard within the academy's core area.
Tall walls and dense vegetation separated it from the surrounding buildings. A sound-isolation formation covered the courtyard, ensuring that no one outside could overhear their conversation.
After confirming that they were alone, the middle-aged man turned toward Lin Mu.
The composure he had maintained at the gate finally disappeared.
He dropped to one knee and bowed deeply.
"Junior Yu Xiaoting greets the First Dean."
Huo Yuhao's eyes widened.
Although Tian Meng had already guessed Lin Mu's identity, hearing the Speaker personally confirm it was still overwhelming.
Lin Mu calmly raised one hand.
An invisible force surrounded Yu Xiaoting and gently lifted him back to his feet before his knee could remain against the ground for long.
"There is no need for such formalities."
Lin Mu had already sensed Yu Xiaoting's martial soul when they first met at the gate.
It was the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon.
If his judgment was correct, Yu Xiaoting was most likely descended from the bloodline that Yu Tianheng and Dugu Yan had left in the mortal realm.
Ten thousand years ago, Yu Tianheng's talent had improved significantly under the cultivation system Lin Mu established. Even so, he had still needed several decades to reach rank ninety-nine.
Without the assistance of a divine trial, reaching that level within such a period was already an astonishing achievement.
Only after Lin Mu and the others entered the God Realm did Yu Tianheng receive the inheritance trial of the God of Wrath. Completing the trial required several additional years.
During those years, Yu Tianheng and Dugu Yan's relationship had deepened, and they eventually left descendants in the mortal realm.
When Yu Tianheng finally became a god, he was permitted to bring only one companion into the God Realm. Their descendants had therefore remained behind and continued the family bloodline on the Douluo Continent.
Lin Mu could have intervened and brought more of them into the God Realm, but he had no obligation to grant divinity or immortality to Yu Tianheng's entire family.
Such privileges could not be distributed without restraint.
There was also another possibility.
Yu Xiaoting might instead be a descendant of Yu Tianxin.
Although Yu Tianxin's Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon had not undergone a powerful evolution during Lin Mu's era, ten thousand years of inheritance and selective cultivation could have gradually strengthened his descendants' martial souls.
Dragon-type martial souls were difficult to preserve perfectly across generations. As a family expanded and its bloodline became increasingly diluted, the inherited martial soul could weaken, mutate, or even disappear.
For Yu Xiaoting to possess such a pure and powerful Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon martial soul meant that his family had carefully protected its inheritance.
Lin Mu examined him briefly before offering a simple evaluation.
"You reached rank ninety-nine before the age of one hundred. Your talent is quite good."
Yu Xiaoting's expression brightened.
Receiving even a modest compliment from the First Dean was a tremendous honor.
If Yu Xiaoting had possessed the same talent ten thousand years earlier, he would have surpassed nearly every genius of that era. Even legendary rank-ninety-nine powerhouses such as Qian Daoliu and Bo Saixi might have been inferior to him in cultivation speed.
"This junior's achievements are entirely due to the cultivation methods you left behind, First Dean," Yu Xiaoting replied respectfully.
Lin Mu did not deny it.
The soul core condensation method and the improved meditation techniques he had passed down had greatly increased the cultivation potential of later generations.
Because those techniques had been studied, refined, and distributed for thousands of years, present-day soul masters possessed advantages that cultivators of the ancient era could never have imagined.
Whale glue had also become far more widely available. When properly processed and consumed, it strengthened a soul master's body, allowing talented cultivators to withstand soul rings that exceeded the ordinary absorption limit.
More importantly, the alchemical knowledge Lin Mu had left behind had continued developing for ten thousand years.
That inheritance was one of the primary reasons modern soul masters could cultivate so much faster than their ancient predecessors.
As the greatest academy on the continent, the Elemental Academy possessed the most advanced medicinal-herb cultivation techniques and some of the finest alchemists in the world. Its vast gardens produced rare herbs throughout the year, while its alchemy halls supplied students and teachers with carefully refined cultivation pills.
Naturally, the quality of those pills remained far below the ones Lin Mu could personally refine.
Nevertheless, they were stable and effective. As long as they were taken in appropriate amounts, they produced almost no harmful side effects and would not weaken a soul master's cultivation foundation.
Yu Xiaoting's achievement was certainly the result of his own discipline and talent, but it was equally inseparable from the cultivation system Lin Mu had created ten thousand years ago.