Chapter 45: Immortal Exam Secret Realm: Yun Yin Valley!

Meng Xianzhang looked at Old Li’s anxious face and comforted him:

“Young Li, don’t be so anxious. The Dao is long, and even if Lin Mo cannot enter the Nine Great Dao Academies, he is surely a celestial sprout sought after by other academies.”

“The Dao is about striving forward, but also about enduring endlessly.”

Though he said so, even he—a common Qi Refiner who had never set foot on the Dao path—understood how vast the gap was between ordinary academies and the Nine Great Dao Academies.

Old Li forced a smile and said, “Forget it. This kid just lacks a bit of luck.”

Does he lack luck?

Meng Xianzhang couldn’t help mentally scoffing—Lin Mo’s luck was clearly absurdly good.

Originally of the lowest possible talent, merely having the chance to walk the Immortal path was already an extraordinary stroke of fortune.

Now, not only had he reached Qi Refining Level 7 before the Immortal Exam, but he also qualified for the Heavenly Dao Immortal Exam…

This could no longer be explained by his mere dozen or so Luck points.

Moreover, in Meng Xianzhang’s view, Lin Mo’s greatest fortune wasn’t rising from Qi Refining Level 2 to Level 7 in a month—it was meeting Chu Wange.

Of course, Chu Wange’s talent was so extraordinarily good that even among the Nine Great Dao Academies, she belonged to the absolute top tier.

And Lin Mo’s talent couldn’t even catch the tailwind of her flying sword.

So even though he could use methods to separate them, he chose not to.

He only needed to wait until one day Lin Mo could no longer keep up with her footsteps, and resentment would naturally arise.

Then, without even needing to lift a finger, the “little couple” would become “bitter enemies,” and they would inevitably part.

The gap between the Nine Great Dao Academies and ordinary academies was merely the first step they had to face.

Zhu Xiao, however, took it calmly and said:

“Old Li, don’t be too hasty. Isn’t there another student in your class—Ye Chen? I recall he controls a decent mid-grade spell.”

“According to Meng Xianzhang, Ye Chen still has a chance to enter the Nine Great Dao Academies.”

For Zhu Xiao, this was indeed true—even if Nanshan No. 4 High School ended up with only two students entering the Nine Great Dao Academies, it would still top all high schools in Xichuan Province.

Old Li nodded, accepting this reasoning, and gazed at Lin Mo in the Mirror of Illusory Moon, silently thinking:

“Lin kid, your teacher has done all he can. Now it’s truly up to your own destiny…”

…

…

“Keep it up, bro! You’re number one!”

Lin Mo gave Chu Wange a thumbs-up.

Chu Wange nodded, showing no particular surprise.

Then again, someone who always held first place would only be shocked if they ever lost it.

Chu Wange’s talent had simply reached another level entirely.

Murmurs from the crowd kept reaching his ears.

“Chu Wange—my god! Number one on the Immortal List!?”

“If I remember right, the last time someone from Xichuan Province topped the Immortal List was the last time?”

“What a lame joke! The last time was decades ago—and it was also a Sword Spirit Root!”

“Sichuan produces many sword cultivators; that’s normal.”

“I heard the principal of Qingshan Sect is also from Sichuan.”

“The people of Xichuan are finally showing their face today—haha! Chu Wange is awesome!”

“By the way, what’s the name of that handsome guy beside her? Could he be another big shot too?”

“…”

Hearing the topic shift toward himself, Lin Mo instinctively tensed his face, forcing a “my strength matches my looks” expression, then slightly curled and straightened his fingers—

【Merit +1】

Give me a little more time, I really am not that bad!

Lin Mo silently shook his head—this power-up came too late. If only another month had passed…

Fine, two months then.

He dared say his name might still appear among the top ranks.

Even if he couldn’t make top ten or top twenty, top fifty was still within reach.

As he drifted in thought, the Heavenly Dao System’s voice rang out across the heavens, reaching every Immortal Exam candidate:

【This Immortal Exam’s Secret Realm has been locked: Yun Yin Valley. After countdown ends, teleportation will commence. Talismans have been sent to candidates’ hands. Prepare yourselves!】

【59, 58, 57, 56…】

Finally, the Immortal Exam Secret Realm!

The noise in the crowd instantly diminished. Candidates refocused on themselves as golden talismans appeared in the hands of every candidate still active.

Lin Mo naturally received one too. Without time to examine it closely, he shoved it into his pocket and began organizing his belongings.

His supplies were simple: besides food, he carried only basic first-aid items.

His backpack was packed mostly with compressed biscuits and instant noodles, plus one early-obtained Rank 1 【Grain Grain Bigu Pill (White)】.

Though he didn’t know if it had expired, one pill could sustain him for two days—useful in a pinch.

After tidying his pack, he looked up, puzzled at Chu Wange, who carried nothing but a sword, and asked:

“Where’s your stuff?”

Each Immortal Exam Secret Realm differed greatly, so even high-level cultivators carried basic supplies to handle emergencies.

After all, Qi Refining candidates were far from achieving Grain Grain Bigu.

Chu Wange said nothing, but raised her middle finger at Lin Mo.

Of course, not to insult him—but to show the ancient-looking ring on her finger.

“Storage Ring?”

Lin Mo’s mouth opened slightly—he’d never seen such a high-end item before.

Chu Wange said:

“Not anything special. Barely holds ten cubic meters.”

Ten cubic meters? That could fit my whole bedroom… Lin Mo suddenly wondered if her middle finger was meant as a slight.

Chu Wange lowered her finger and said, “Good luck in the Secret Realm. Uh… good friend.”

Watching the countdown draw near, Lin Mo took a deep breath and said, “You too—even though you probably don’t need my encouragement.”

Chu Wange shook her head and said, “I…”

“Shhhhh!!!”

Before he could hear her words, Lin Mo suddenly felt the entire world spin wildly, and that nauseating dizziness returned.

When his body finally stabilized, he didn’t bother checking his surroundings—he immediately bent over:

“Yue~!”

Another bout of dry heaving.

He stood there, recovering for a long while before he could breathe normally again.

Damn it—who designed this teleportation method? Shaking people like laundry in a washing machine? Is that reasonable?

Lin Mo wiped spit from his lips and cursed inwardly before finally looking around.

A fresh, damp breeze filled his lungs, invigorating him. Towering mountains rose into the clouds.

Soft golden light filtered through the trees, bathing the valley in gentle radiance.

Dense forests bloomed with charming wildflowers.

A clear stream danced with the mountain breeze, beautiful and serene, a marvel of nature.

For a moment, Lin Mo thought he’d stumbled into a tourist spot and instinctively reached for his Spirit Device to take a landscape photo.

But soon, he realized it was all an illusion.

As Lin Mo tried to walk around a tree to check if the stream water was drinkable, he collided with an invisible wall and was instantly bounced back.

He widened his eyes and said:

“Damn, air wall!?”