Chapter 31: Didn

The subsequent “conflict” ended with astonishing speed.

After finishing the first two sentences, Chu Wange sealed her victory with the final remark: “Wherever he goes, I go.”

The two Immortal Elders, ultimately helpless, changed “admit as Sword Attendant at Qi Refining Sixth Layer” to “admit based on the Nine Great Academies’ Immortal Examination.”

Of course, this final condition was only brought up by Lin Mo when the situation reached a stalemate.

Even so, it was still a major concession.

Across the entire Qinzhou, while the number of Immortal candidates each year meeting the Nine Great Academies’ standards isn’t large, it’s not small either.

Altogether, there are at least ten thousand such candidates annually, yet the total admission quota of the Nine Great Academies doesn’t exceed a thousand.

In other words, even outstanding peers like Ye Chen, who’ve reached Qi Refining Seventh Layer, may still fail to meet the elite selection threshold of the Nine Great Academies.

Since both Immortal Elders agreed to this demand, the situation ended in a draw, and Chu Wange was left in the office to be further “tormented.”

Old Li had sharp eyesight—he grabbed Lin Mo and pulled him out of the office.

Only after leaving the building’s range did Old Li turn back to glance at the office window, then whirl around and glare at Lin Mo:

“You gave up such a great opportunity?”

Lin Mo was baffled: “When did I give anything up?”

Old Li snapped:

“Didn’t you volunteering to take the Nine Great Academies’ Immortal Examination count as giving it up? I was signaling you like mad—didn’t you get it?”

“I tell you, you’re still too young—how can your face be so thin? Now you’ve lost both chances: no shot at Xuan Yuan Dao Academy, and none here either. You’ve thrown away two guaranteed admissions—what were you thinking?”

Me?

Thin-faced?

Lin Mo had never heard anyone describe him this way before.

He looked at Old Li with amusement, understanding that Old Li’s feelings mirrored those of his own mother—only someone who truly regarded students as family would speak so bluntly to the lofty Immortal Elders.

Just now, Old Li had been fully assisting from the sidelines, never idle—even more eager than Vice-Principal Zhu.

The latter acted for performance metrics; the former acted for metrics, but also genuinely wished Lin Mo a bright future.

Lin Mo smiled and said: “Relax, Old Li—I raised my cultivation by two layers in ten days. I still have twenty days left.”

Old Li snorted:

“You think raising your realm is like riding a flying sword? Do you think it’s that easy?”

Lin Mo smiled but offered no further explanation.

The two returned to Class Ten’s classroom; as soon as they stepped in, a crowd surrounded them, led by Zhang Dahai.

He rushed straight to Lin Mo’s front, nearly repeating yesterday afternoon’s antics—luckily, Old Li was beside him, preventing any recklessness.

Still, he gritted his teeth and asked: “How the hell did you, uh—sorry—how did you get to know the campus beauty?”

Lin Mo had been about to say “We met over barbecue,” but then noticed Ye Chen standing in the classroom, frowning, watching them—as if waiting for an answer.

Good kid, so you’re a Chu Wange fan too.

Lin Mo chuckled inwardly, then wore a faintly “shy” smile and said:

“Well… it’s a long story…”

She freeloaded me…

Ten days of barbecue!

This half-spoken, half-hinted reply made the classmates’ eyes widen in disbelief.

“You? With the campus beauty? You’re full of shit!”

Someone immediately cracked, and others piled on.

“Exactly—who are you to compare with the No. 1 of Nanshan? Lin Mo, what makes you think you’re worthy?”

“Lin Mo, be honest—is the campus beauty here to tutor you in academics?”

Many thought this guess was highly plausible.

Mainly because Old Li and the Class Seven homeroom teacher had accompanied Chu Wange—likely for academic reasons.

Yet even if Lin Mo had made a comeback yesterday, his cultivation still paled next to Chu Wange’s, the No. 1 of Nanshan.

After debating among themselves, the class concluded that the only thing Lin Mo could legitimately be praised for was academics.

Someone else laughed and added:

“Then why else would the campus beauty come to him? To date him?”

Unexpectedly, Lin Mo shook his head: “No, she came to discuss guaranteed admission.”

“Guaranteed admission? Did Immortal Master Nong Qing come again?”

Zhang Dahai asked, confused—he knew what happened yesterday, but if even Ye Chen looked down on Xuan Yuan Dao Academy, why would the campus beauty go there?

Lin Mo casually glanced at Ye Chen, who indeed looked puzzled.

He didn’t drag it out: “Not Immortal Master Nong Qing—it’s the two Immortal Elders from Qingshan Sect and Wenda Academy.”

“Hssss~!”

The classroom sucked in a collective breath.

As natives of old Qin, no matter how ignorant they were, they couldn’t fail to know these two academies.

These were among the top Nine Great Academies of Qinzhou, both famed for their sword cultivators.

In terms of prestige alone, Qingshan Sect and Wenda Academy ranked among the top three of the Nine Great Academies—elite cultivation academies every Immortal candidate dreamed of.

“Qingshan Sect and Wenda Academy? They’re offering guaranteed admission to the campus beauty… and you?”

Zhang Dahai voiced the exact question every student was thinking.

Chu Wange was understandable—she was the top cultivation prodigy of Nanshan and even Rongcheng; her guaranteed admission to the Nine Great Academies was surprising but reasonable.

But what made Lin Mo worthy?

His looks?

Lin Mo shrugged helplessly:

“Honestly, I didn’t even want to go—it was all Wange’s doing. She dragged me along—I had no choice.”

Everyone froze, then suddenly remembered Chu Wange personally coming to his classroom that morning.

Zhang Dahai frowned: “Wange? You know the campus beauty? How come I never heard?”

Then he suddenly realized: “No wonder you’ve improved so fast lately—did you latch onto the campus beauty’s leg? Did she give you pills?”

The “pills” here naturally referred to cultivation elixirs like Qi Refining Powder, a common elixir for Qi Refining cultivators.

But since Qi Refining cultivators can’t yet refine pills, Qi Refining Powder can only be obtained through daily quests.

Even if someone obtained it, they’d use it themselves or give it to family—never trade it.

Thus, such elixirs were extremely rare and never circulated in the market.

Lin Mo tilted his head, utterly baffled by how anyone could think of pills: “That freeload… uh, how could that be?”

Almost slipped up.

Zhang Dahai frowned: “That doesn’t make sense—if you didn’t latch onto a rich patron, how did you improve so fast?”

Lin Mo chuckled, his gaze casually drifting to Old Li beside him.

You helped me in the principal’s office—now you want me to help you again?

Old Li mentally grumbled, but still offered an explanation:

“Lin Mo possesses great fortune, which is why he’s improved so rapidly. So you—all of you, especially you, Zhang Dahai!—learn from Lin Mo. Only through relentless effort can fortune favor you…”

Everyone ignored the latter half, stunned first by “possesses great fortune”—wasn’t that the definition of a Fate-Selected One?

Then, almost instinctively, every head turned toward Ye Chen, who stood in the back, expression stunned.

He first thought it impossible—Lin Mo was boasting. Fortune wasn’t that easy to obtain!

But the one speaking wasn’t Lin Mo himself—it was his homeroom teacher, Li Xiang. Why would Li Xiang lie to students? And combined with Lin Mo’s recent bold actions…

Ye Chen looked at him with a complex expression and said: “You actually got this kind of dumb luck?”

You still talk like such a jerk… Lin Mo chuckled inwardly and replied:

“I possess great fortune. You possess great fortune too—and you call this dumb luck? Then haven’t you stepped in an even bigger pile?”

Many in the classroom struggled to hold back laughter.

As soon as these words were spoken, many in the classroom struggled to hold back their laughter.

Zhang Dahai laughed out loud without any restraint.

Ye Chen’s face darkened instantly—he snorted coldly, grabbed his desk box, and left the classroom.

Ye Chen’s face darkened instantly; he let out a cold snort, picked up the box on the desk, and left the classroom.