Chapter 125: Heard of the Storm-Soaked Pear Blossom Needles?

The next morning.

Lin Mo groggily opened his eyes.

This sleep had been especially sweet.

Mainly because yesterday he'd dealt with that Ying country spy, and the pent-up grievance in his heart had been vented.

Once this thought was settled, sleep quality naturally shot straight up.

"Phew…"

"Let me see if my little ones worked hard last night."

Lin Mo sat up in bed and pulled up his panel.

At one look, he froze for a moment.

【Level: Lv. 26 (35%)】

"Hm? Level 26 already?"

One level up overnight?

This efficiency is quite a bit higher than the day before yesterday.

What's going on?

Lin Mo, puzzled, tapped open the 【Combat Log】.

【Your skill 'Fireball' was used in the wild area 'Black Wind Ridge', employing 'Multi-Burst Fireballs' to destroy a goblin camp, and left a message: Useless green-skinned midgets.】

【Your skill 'Fireball' was used in the 'Wild Boar Forest' area, employing 'Blazing Fire Pillar' and 'Firestorm' to clear out several hundred wild boars, and left a message: All trash, not a single one worth fighting.】

【Your skill 'Lightning Strike' was used in the 'Dark Swamp' area, employing 'Thunder Purgatory' and 'Lightning Strike', one strike per kill, swiftly wiping out a nest of crocodiles.】

【Your skills 'Fireball' and 'Lightning Strike' ran into each other in the wild, exchanged glances, and decided to hold a friendly monster-clearing race. Wherever they passed, not a blade of grass remained.】

【Your skill 'Earth Shield', watching big brother and third brother go absolutely crazy, decided to come back and sleep.】

After reading the log, Lin Mo was completely stunned.

Good lord.

No wonder the leveling efficiency got higher this time — turns out Xiao Lei and Xiao Tu finally got swept up into the grind, huh.

Looks like that "Elemental Substitute" pie-in-the-sky he drew yesterday really worked wonders!

But what's up with Xiao Tu? Barely started grinding before going home to sleep?

Just then,

【'Earth Shield', voice carrying a just-woke-up laziness: Good morning, Master! Did you have a nice dream last night!】

"Looks like you slept pretty well."

Lin Mo asked inwardly:

"What's going on?"

"Your big brother and third brother were grinding so hard last night the world went dark, and you wandered around for less than an hour, poked a rabbit to death, then came back to sleep?"

"Don't want the substitute anymore? Or don't want to be your 'majestic second brother' anymore?"

Hearing Lin Mo's questioning.

'Earth Shield' instantly felt terribly wronged.

【'Earth Shield', in a tearful voice: Master! That's a grave injustice! I want to grind too! But… but I can't do it!】

"Why can't you?"

Lin Mo asked.

【'Earth Shield': Master, look — when it comes to clearing efficiency, big brother is a walking artillery platform, tosses out a sea of fire with a casual flick.】

【Third brother's chain lightning is ridiculous too — zzzt, a whole patch dies; even if they don't, third brother's Lightning Strike is one-shot-one-kill, super fast.】

【What about me?】

【My 'Earth Spike' damage can't even compare to big brother's and third brother's basic Fireball and Lightning Strike.】

【'Death Thorn Rock Spear' is fierce, sure — one spear, one little buddy down — but the cooldown is way too long!】

【The most useful one is 'Earth-Shaking Quake', but… Master, didn't you teach us to keep a low profile, to conceal ourselves from prying eyes?】

The more 'Earth Shield' spoke, the more wronged it felt:

【'Earth-Shaking Quake' makes too much of a ruckus, rumbling like an earthquake — in the middle of the night, I figured it wouldn't be quite appropriate, right?】

【I thought about it, and to avoid causing trouble for Master, I could only come back and sleep…】

After hearing 'Earth Shield's tearful explanation.

Lin Mo finally understood.

Seems like…

There really is some logic to it?

Among Xiao Tu's offensive skills, the only one with decent efficiency is that 'Earth-Shaking Quake'.

But this move really is better left unused.

Causing Jingda to quake in the middle of the night would indeed be a bit of a bad look.

Looks like, in the final analysis, Xiao Tu is still lacking a relatively conventional area-of-effect output method.

Lin Mo fell into thought.

Since he's the boss, he has to solve problems for his employees — that's how employees can work better for him, right?

"Xiao Tu."

【'Earth Shield': Master, I'm here.】

"Since you feel your methods are lacking, then use your brain a bit."

"Who says earth-element attacks have to cause the ground to shake and mountains to totter?"

"Can't you comprehend a range-damage skill that's not so loud, but fast and ruthless?"

【'Earth Shield Technique' was stunned: Huh? Not so loud? And it has to be range damage? And fast and ruthless? Master, you're making things hard for Earth...】

【Master, do you have any good ideas? Teach me quickly!】

"Uh..."

Lin Mo sat on the bed, thinking.

The form of 'Dead Thorn Rock Spear' flashed through his mind.

Suddenly,

a word floated into Lin Mo's mind.

His eyes lit up, and he snapped his fingers:

"Got it!"

"Pear-Shower Needle!"

【'Earth Shield Technique': What? Abalone what needle? Master, do you want to eat seafood?】

"Eat what! I'm talking about Pear-Shower Needle!"

Lin Mo corrected him irritably.

Then he began to explain:

"Think about it. Since you can condense one Dead Thorn Rock Spear, why can't you condense thousands and thousands?"

"Even if the power is a bit weaker, the advantage is the sheer number!"

"Just imagine, with one wave of your hand, rock spears filling the sky! Covering the heavens and the earth! Wouldn't that wipe out a whole area in one sweep?"

Listening to Lin Mo's description,

'Earth Shield Technique' fell into deep shock.

【'Earth Shield Technique' murmured to itself: Tens of thousands? Master... that's impossible, right? Condensing just one already exhausts my spirit. If I try to make so many at once, won't I get a cerebral hemorrhage?】

Lin Mo shrugged:

"Then that's a problem for you to solve."

"I've already pointed out the method to you. Whether you can master it, whether you can catch up to your eldest brother and third brother's progress, whether you can get your Element Clone soon..."

"... that depends on how hard you work."

"Alright, go figure it out yourself. I'm going to wash up."

【'Earth Shield Technique' was dazed for a moment, then burst forth with unprecedented fighting spirit: No! I must catch up to my eldest brother and third brother! I want a clone too!】

【That so-called Abalone Needle... I'll go figure it out right now!】

【Your skill 'Earth Shield Technique' has been stimulated and entered deduction mode...】

Seeing 'Earth Shield Technique' reignite its fighting spirit, Lin Mo also wore a satisfied smile.

Fortunately, this skill of mine is quite easy to fool.

Lin Mo whistled, flipped off the bed, and hummed a little tune as he walked into the bathroom.

Inside the bathroom.

"Gurgle gurgle... Ptooey!"

Lin Mo looked at himself in the mirror. Although his hair was slightly messy, he was indeed handsome.

Just then,

Ding-dong—

The villa's doorbell rang.

Lin Mo paused for a moment.

"Who is it so early in the morning?"

He casually tapped a smart control screen and opened the surveillance feed from the main gate.

At that moment, outside the villa's iron gate, stood two young men.

One wore a well-tailored white casual suit, his hair combed meticulously, wearing the kind of confidence unique to scions of great families.

The other was burly, with a fierce expression, looking nothing like a student.

"Don't recognize them..."

Lin Mo frowned and pressed the call button:

"Who is it?"

Hearing the voice, the young man in the white suit outside straightened his back slightly and flashed an elegant smile at the camera:

"Hello, classmate Lin Mo. I am Ye Kong."

Ye Kong?

Lin Mo thought for a moment, then suddenly understood.

"Oh..."

"So it's the second brother."

"..."

Outside the gate, Ye Kong's smile instantly froze.

What the hell is 'second brother'!

Even though I rank second, can you not call me so... weirdly?

Ye Kong took a deep breath and forcibly maintained his dignity:

"Classmate Lin Mo, you are truly humorous."

"I don't know if it's convenient to open the door? I have some matters I'd like to discuss with you."

"Sure, come in."

Lin Mo casually tapped to unlock.