Chapter 57: Ranking Rewards! Heavenly Dao Golden Light! (Requesting Follows)

Invitation as a guaranteed admit!

Lin Mo had anticipated it, but still felt a brief surge of excitement upon hearing the invitation.

Recalling before the Immortal Exam, he had been ineligible, then passed the third mock exam…

Now, he had finally earned the guaranteed admission—officially, and from one of the Nine Great Dao Academies.

Lin Mo finally experienced the same treatment Chu Wange had once received.

Yet he did not let this sudden surprise cloud his judgment; after a brief pause, he said:

“Two Immortal Elders, I’m not yet familiar with the benefits of guaranteed admission.”

Yan Nanfeng frowned slightly and said:

“What’s wrong with Feng? Didn’t you already mention Lin Xiao’s guaranteed admission? Why didn’t you explain the benefits?”

Hearing this, Gu Ling’s gaze swept toward him, a flicker of contempt in his eyes.

Who was it just moments ago whispering that this “Lin Mo” must never be admitted to the Dao Academy—and now changes his tune so quickly?

Of course, he wouldn’t expose Yan Nanfeng’s hypocrisy to his face; after all, he’d said plenty of behind-the-back jabs about Lin Mo too.

After putting on a show, Yan Nanfeng turned back to Lin Mo and explained:

“Hehe, Lin Xiao, this is our Qingshan Sect’s oversight—but I assure you, Qingshan’s guaranteed admission benefits rank among the top tier even among the Nine Great Dao Academies, no worse than any other.”

Gu Ling quickly added: “Our Wenda Academy is the same.”

Yan Nanfeng shot him a glare—why are you everywhere?

Lin Mo glanced at Yan Nanfeng, then at Gu Ling, understanding dawning—he didn’t respond directly, but turned to Chu Wange and asked:

“Wange, have you decided which Dao Academy you’ll join?”

“Wange”—such an intimate address… Yan Nanfeng and Gu Ling exchanged glances; this term confirmed their earlier suspicions.

Chu Wange shook her head: “Not yet. I’m waiting for you.”

Her concise reply sparked even more speculation in both men.

This little couple is sweet!

Yan Nanfeng smiled faintly, then immediately realized something.

To recruit Chu Wange, he’d have to “buy off” Lin Mo?

Thus, Lin Mo’s significance was no longer merely that of a guaranteed admit.

Whoever secured him would secure this year’s Immortal Exam Top Graduate!?

Yan Nanfeng glanced at Gu Ling across from him; the other’s eyes flickered—he’d realized it too.

Good news: This year’s Immortal Exam Top Graduate comes with a free bonus.

Bad news: There’s competition.

Yan Nanfeng cleared his throat and said:

“If Lin Xiao joins Qingshan Sect, I’ll personally offer you one thousand sect contribution points as an extra reward.”

Gu Ling immediately followed: “Same here.”

[Heh, trying to steal?]

Yan Nanfeng looked at Gu Ling; the latter raised an eyebrow.

【Try me?】

Yan Nanfeng snorted and turned back to Lin Mo: “Beyond contribution points, I’ll also gift you a cultivation blessing pouch containing ten Taiqing Pills.”

Gu Ling didn’t lag behind: “Same here.”

Damn, this isn’t just the first dungeon resource he’d pulled?

Lin Mo clearly remembered that blue-rank dungeon resource—he never expected Yan Nanfeng would offer it outright as a reward.

Good thing I didn’t pick it back then… he thought inwardly.

Now it seemed his late-night grinding hadn’t been in vain.

Otherwise, even if he’d cleared the Immortal Exam dungeon, the academy recruiters wouldn’t have invested this much effort or resources into him.

Yan Nanfeng frowned deeply, hesitated a long while, then gritted his teeth and said:

“Qingshan Sect will also grant you a rank-two mid-grade small spiritual vein!”

Gu Ling: “I also… damn!”

Gu Ling looked up at Yan Nanfeng—how ruthless is that?

Wenda Academy truly couldn’t match that.

It wasn’t that Qingshan Sect had deeper roots than Wenda Academy—it was that Qingshan’s former Sect Master had seized a large, rank-four spiritual vein in the dungeon, of exceptionally high quality, rare among the Nine Great Dao Academies.

Spiritual veins had always been one of Qingshan’s recruitment advantages.

Yan Nanfeng quickly added: “Lin Xiao, think carefully—your five-element spiritual roots may be manageable in Qi Refining, but once you reach Foundation Establishment, your resource consumption will be several times that of single- or dual-element cultivators.”

To ensure he understood, he added:

“A small spiritual vein isn’t just for boosting spiritual energy—it also produces spirit stones monthly and nourishes spirit fields… countless benefits.”

“In short, a rank-two mid-grade small spiritual vein can save you ten years of hard work.”

After hearing this, Lin Mo felt oddly like he was about to be kept.

He glanced at Chu Wange beside him; she nodded: “My father said spiritual veins are crucial.”

Though he didn’t fully grasp Yan Nanfeng’s talk about nourishing spirit fields, the importance of spiritual veins had been clear since Qi Refining.

From the ordinary cultivation rooms students fought over daily, to the elite ones like Jinding Dao Temple that everyone clamored for.

To Lin Mo, the message was simple: this thing was valuable.

Lin Mo nodded: “Thank you, Immortal Elder Yan.”

Yan Nanfeng smiled, about to speak—when Lin Mo turned to Gu Ling: “Immortal Elder Gu, do you have anything else to add?”

Yan Nanfeng: “…”

Gu Ling wanted to add something—but he simply couldn’t afford to.

A rank-two mid-grade spiritual vein was an absolute game-changer.

He could only sigh helplessly and shake his head.

That’s it… Lin Mo then smiled again and turned to Yan Nanfeng, performing a Dao bow:

“Then I’m counting on you, Immortal Elder Yan.”

Beside him, Chu Wange also bowed: “Then I’m counting on you, Immortal Elder Yan.”

Hearing their words, Yan Nanfeng’s expression grew complex.

He’d secured the Immortal Exam Top Graduate—and a top-ten prospect besides—but somehow, recruiting Lin Mo didn’t feel like a good thing…

Seeing the matter settled, Gu Ling sighed and wasted no more time—after brief pleasantries, he exited the barrier.

Outside, the Immortal Exam candidates and recruiting Immortal Masters reacted swiftly.

Qingshan Sect got him!

Not only Lin Mo, ranked in the top ten—but Chu Wange had also been inside, and hadn’t emerged with Gu Ling.

Did that mean Qingshan Sect would be this year’s biggest winner?

The crowd erupted in excited discussion.

“Qingshan Sect crushed it this year—one Top Graduate, one Top Ten!”

“But Lin Mo’s first-round score was so low—how good could his talent really be?”

“Yeah, his dungeon score seems unreal—he actually got a perfect score!”

“True, I get shaky just seeing a beast, and my spells always miss—wish I’d practiced more.”

“Could Lin Mo have exceptional comprehension and high spell proficiency?”

“After thinking it over, that’s the only explanation.”

“…”

At that moment, a voice rang out: “Hmph, what comprehension? He only got to join the Heavenly Dao Immortal Exam because he clung to someone’s leg.”

Everyone turned toward the voice.

There stood Ye Chen, eyes locked on the barrier ahead, expression dark and unreadable.

Before anyone could ask for clarification, the Immortal Exam ranking atop the dome began finalizing—a familiar Heavenly Dao system prompt echoed into every candidate’s ears:

【Qinzhou’s 1008th Immortal Exam Rankings, published as follows】:

1. Chu Wange, total score: 1200

2. Chen Xuanzhi, total score: 1140

3. Feng Ji, total score: 1130

…

10. Lin Mo, total score: 1053

11. Long A, total score: 1050

…

…

Aside from minor shifts caused by Lin Mo’s sudden entry into the top ten, the rest remained unchanged from before.

【Immortal Exam Rankings locked. Calculating ranking rewards. Please wait…】

Another prompt echoed into everyone’s ears.

The Immortal Exam ranking rewards were finally coming!

Countless candidates tensed—most had endured on the Ascension Platform this long solely for this moment.

Lin Mo and Chu Wange, within the barrier, also received the notification.

After quietly waiting for about ten seconds, the brilliant golden light emanating from both of them began slowly retracting, sinking into their bodies.

Just as Lin Mo’s expression flickered with slight surprise, a reward notification reached his ear:

【Ding! Congratulations, examinee, you have entered the Immortal Rankings Top Ten. Reward received: Heavenly Dao Golden Light (10% increase in cultivation speed for one year).】