Chapter 21: Previously, I Had No Choice. Now, I Want to Try

“Aren’t you regretful? That’s a guaranteed admission!”

Zhang Dahai, who had sneaked away with Lin Mo, looked at him in confusion.

Lin Mo smiled coldly without expression:

“They’ve already stepped on my face—what’s there to regret?”

Having lived two lives, he could clearly see that Nong Qing had deliberately made the guaranteed admission offer to Ye Chen in that setting solely to step on him and elevate Ye Chen’s status before everyone.

Yet he never imagined that one sentence would cost him two guaranteed admission slots.

Not only did Ye Chen refuse him outright in front of everyone, but by the time he came to his senses, Lin Mo had already slipped away unnoticed.

It was like losing the watermelon and not even picking up the sesame seeds.

“Qinzhou has thirty Dao Academies—why hang yourself on one tree? And how could an eleventh-ranked Dao Academy possibly match my exceptional talent?”

Lin Mo smiled sharply and said, “Ye Chen’s goal is the Nine Great Dao Academies—so is mine.”

“Pfft~!”

Zhang Dahai pouted and spat a puff of air in his direction.

But Lin Mo wasn’t pretending to be carefree—he truly was.

With little time left before the Immortal Exam, his “preparations” were already complete; now he’d just grind experience points relentlessly, pushing his cultivation base as high as possible.

The goal he’d just stated—the Nine Great Dao Academies—wasn’t boasting.

After putting on a show for Zhang Dahai, Lin Mo secretly thought to himself:

“I wonder what the admission criteria for the Nine Great Dao Academies actually are?”

As everyone knows, Qinzhou has thirty Dao Academies, but only nine are renowned as top-tier institutions.

Among them are Qingshan Sect and Wendaoyuan, famed for sword cultivation; Youming Palace, specializing in ghost cultivation; Tianyin Palace, the number one music cultivation school in Jiuzhou…

No matter which one, none of the other twenty-one can compare.

Even the tenth-ranked Dao Academy is vastly inferior to these nine.

It’s said the Nine Great Dao Academies’ admission standards are extremely strict, each accepting fewer than a hundred students per year.

Just in Xichuan Province alone, over a hundred thousand Immortal Exam candidates apply annually; across all of Qinzhou, the number exceeds a million.

Selection for the Nine Great Dao Academies is truly one in ten thousand—only true geniuses can gain entry.

“Before, I had no choice. Now…”

A flash of sharp light passed through Lin Mo’s eyes, his brows lifting with confidence: “I want to try.”

…

…

Nanshan No. 4 High School, Grade 12 Head Teacher’s Office.

Li Xiang, homeroom teacher of Class 12-10, sat on the sofa, looking slightly tense.

Across from him was the grade director, Liao Wenbin. Though his name sounded refined, he was toweringly muscular, nearly two meters tall—a pure northern giant.

At this moment, Liao Wenbin gripped a small, delicate teapot with his massive hand, poured himself a cup of tea, and sipped it lightly, giving off the vibe of Zhang Fei threading a needle.

“The tea the principal gave is truly fragrant, Teacher Li—don’t be shy, drink up. If you wait too long, the medicinal effects will dissipate.”

Liao Wenbin urged Li Xiang while sipping.

Li Xiang smiled awkwardly and lifted his own cup, taking a small sip.

Liao Wenbin chuckled:

“That’s right. Teachers like you, Grade 12 homeroom instructors, tend to be under a lot of pressure—I understand.”

“This tea I swiped from the principal—it strengthens the body and boosts health. Drink more; it’s good for you!”

Tea… strengthens the body…

I’m glad you can link these two completely unrelated concepts together.

Li Xiang mentally grumbled.

It was said that in his youth, Liao Wenbin had aimed to become an Immortal Exam candidate specializing in body cultivation, and had even passed the admission threshold of a Dao Academy.

Unfortunately, he failed repeatedly when attempting Foundation Establishment, his foundation shattered, rendering him unable to walk the cultivation path again.

Yet even so, his physique and realm were still outstanding among ordinary people.

It’s no wonder the principal placed him in the position of discipline director.

Liao Wenbin, having practiced body cultivation for years, was as sturdy as an ox, radiating immense authority—just one glare could scare many love-struck girls into tears.

Even Li Xiang, a Grade 12 homeroom teacher, felt instinctively tense sitting across from him.

Liao Wenbin slapped his shoulder with his muscular arm and said:

“Teacher Li, you’re doing great—you’ve nurtured a student as outstanding as Ye Chen. Just now, Immortal Master Nong Qing from Xuan Yuan Dao Academy privately messaged me—he’s confirmed Ye Chen’s guaranteed admission is all but certain.”

Li Xiang rubbed his aching shoulder and smiled bitterly:

“It’s all thanks to Ye Chen’s own efforts—I just played a supporting role.”

Though he’d been called here unexpectedly, he understood the situation well enough.

Most likely, this [Destiny Child] had performed well in the third mock exam and had already caught the attention of Dao Academy Immortal Masters.

This had happened before in past years, but usually only among elite classes. This year, for a regular class like his to produce a talent like Ye Chen was unprecedented in the eighty-year history of Nanshan School.

Many colleagues secretly grumbled: it wasn’t that Ye Chen was lucky enough to earn the title of [Destiny Child]—it was that his regular-class homeroom teacher had hit the jackpot and found this “treasure.”

So his words weren’t false modesty—they were essentially true.

Liao Wenbin, clearly no ordinary man, let out a loud laugh:

“That’s not how you put it—even if you got lucky, the credit still belongs to you.”

Li Xiang: “...”

Wanted to resist, but dared not…

Li Xiang smiled awkwardly and took another sip of tea.

Whether from the medicinal effects or his emotions, a surge of blood rose within him, flushing his face with color.

Just as the atmosphere grew heavy, a soft knock came at the door.

Both men looked up to see Nong Qing enter, his expression complicated.

Liao Wenbin immediately stood up, laughing heartily:

“Hah! Immortal Master Nong Qing has arrived! Sit, sit—I’ll pour you tea—this tea is…”

“No need!”

Nong Qing cut him off, shaking his head and speaking bluntly:

“The third mock exam is over. The Immortal Exam results have been sent to your principal’s email. As for the guaranteed admission…”

Here, he glanced at Li Xiang with a strange expression, leaving the man bewildered, then continued:

“Neither student wishes for guaranteed admission. So the matter is put on hold—for now.”

Li Xiang asked: “Did Ye Chen refuse?”

Nong Qing nodded curtly: “His goal is the Nine Great Dao Academies.”

The Nine Great Dao Academies… Li Xiang and Liao Wenbin exchanged glances, instantly understanding.

That meant Ye Chen had reached Qi Refining Level 7—so aiming for the Nine Great Dao Academies wasn’t out of the question.

Suddenly, Liao Wenbin spoke again: “By the way, what about the other student? Did Zhu Hongyuan refuse too? His aspiration was Xuan Yuan—this doesn’t make sense…”

Hearing this, Nong Qing stared directly at Li Xiang: “Ask your star student.”

Li Xiang froze. What does this have to do with me?

Seeing Nong Qing’s clearly displeased expression, Li Xiang hurried to explain:

“Immortal Master Nong, Ye Chen’s choice is entirely his own—I didn’t…”

“Not him. The other one.”

“Huh? There’s another one?”

Li Xiang blurted out. Who else in the class could be guaranteed admission besides Ye Chen?

Could it be Li Feng? That couldn’t be…

As he puzzled, Nong Qing spoke:

“A kid named Lin Mo. He’s only at Qi Refining Level 4, but his Kuixing Stake training is excellent—he’s reached the Peak Level. I suspect he has a special physique. But…”

“He slipped away early.”

Li Feng’s eyes widened slightly, filled with disbelief.

Lin Mo. Qi Refining Level 4. Kuixing Stake at Peak Level. Special physique. Slipped away…

He understood every word—but together, they suddenly exceeded his comprehension.