Chapter 126: Today, we

Not long after, the two arrived at the villa's living room door.

Lin Mo had just changed into casual clothes and come downstairs.

"Make yourselves at home, no need to be formal."

Lin Mo gestured to the sofa, then went to the fridge and took out a bottle of soda.

Ye Kong didn't hesitate, sitting down elegantly on the sofa.

The burly man stood quietly beside Ye Kong.

"Lin Mo, nice to meet you."

Ye Kong pointed to the burly man and introduced him: "This is Wang Dawei."

Lin Mo glanced at the burly man and blinked.

"Wang Dawei? Who's that?"

Wang Dawei had been standing tall, ready to receive the gaze of the top-ranked player.

But hearing this reply, he deflated instantly.

So you only remember the top few, right?!

Those ranked lower don't even deserve a name, right?!

Seeing this, Ye Kong spoke up: "Lin Mo, this man is also from Dragon Order Class—ranked seventh."

He watched Wang Dawei's crushed expression.

Lin Mo scratched his head awkwardly:

"Ah… sorry, I didn't pay attention to the names further down. Since you're seventh, that's still impressive—nice to meet you."

This dismissive attitude left Wang Dawei on the verge of tears.

Ye Kong turned his gaze toward Lin Mo, his eyes sharpening slightly.

"Lin Mo."

"I've come unannounced for two reasons."

"The first one is…"

"I've always wondered—how did a blank-slate mage like you end up at rank one? To hold that position, you must have some exceptional ability, right?"

Ye Kong's words were polite, but his underlying arrogance still showed through.

He resented it in his heart.

How could a blank-slate mage possibly tower over him, a space mage?

Lin Mo replied casually:

"Oh, nothing special—just know a bit more."

"A bit more?"

Ye Kong raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah."

Lin Mo nodded and said:

"A little fire, a little earth, and a little lightning."

"…."

Ye Kong and Wang Dawei exchanged glances, both stunned.

"Holy shit, triple-element mage?"

Wang Dawei blurted out, "No wonder you got rank one… triple-element mages at this level are incredibly rare."

"I see."

Ye Kong's disdain softened considerably, "If you're a triple-element mage, ranking first isn't surprising."

With that,

Ye Kong fixed his gaze on Lin Mo again, seriously saying:

"Since you're this strong, I'll be direct."

"I want you to cooperate with my command and follow my assignments during the 'Freshman Trials' and future 'Ten Nations Battlefield.'"

"I'm a space mage—my mobility and battlefield control are unmatched."

"So I'm the best choice as commander."

"And you, as a triple-element mage with the strongest firepower, should be the team's core damage dealer."

"If you follow my orders and we work together, I'm confident we can sweep all second-year veterans!"

Ye Kong spoke with fiery passion.

He already pictured himself leading his team to glory.

He had already envisioned himself leading his team to the peak.

Lin Mo listened, then waved his hand listlessly:

"Two hundred second-year veterans? What's the point of tactics? Just wipe them out in one go."

Wang Dawei's lip twitched:

"You're really bold—veterans have advantages in level, numbers, and coordination. Isn't that a bit too much bragging?"

Ye Kong shot Wang Dawei a glare, signaling him to shut up.

Then, with a hint of apology: "Sorry, Dawei's blunt and speaks without thinking—I apologize on his behalf."

Then, with a hint of apology: "Sorry, Dawei's just blunt and speaks without thinking—I apologize on his behalf."

Lin Mo waved it off.

Ye Kong paused, then asked:

"You probably don't know yet?"

"Last night, the school issued a notice—our opponents aren't two hundred, but the entire second year: 1, 87 people!"

Wang Dawei stood with arms crossed, smirking, eager to see Lin Mo panic.

Wang Dawei stood nearby, arms crossed, wearing a look of eager anticipation.

Twenty versus two hundred was a challenge.

Twenty versus two thousand?

That was pure despair!

"Changed?"

Lin Mo frowned, then pulled out his phone.

Sure enough.

He immediately spotted the pinned announcement.

His gaze dropped to the last line of reward details.

He immediately spotted the pinned announcement.

Lin Mo's eyes lit up instantly.

"Lightning element fragments? So generous?"

At the same time,

"Earth Shield Technique" suddenly surfaced in his mind.

【'Earth Shield Technique' collapsed: Aaaah! Why?! Why lightning fragments?! Why not earth?!】

Lin Mo watched the skill's distress and thought:

【【Earth Shield Spell】collapsed: Aaaah! Why?! Why are there lightning elemental fragments?! Why not earth elements?!】

"Your big brother, Little Fire, worked hard and got a fire element fragment."

"Your little brother, Little Thunder, started working hard last night—look, lightning fragments are already arranged."

"That's what they call heaven rewarding diligence."

【'Earth Shield Technique' froze for a moment, then surged with renewed determination: No! I'll work hard too! I'll grind too!】

【Your skill 'Earth Shield Technique' has been severely stimulated and entered deep meditation and evolution state…】

【【Earth Shield Spell】paused for a moment, then reignited its determination: No way! I must work harder! I must also hustle!】

Ye Kong, sitting across from him, noticed Lin Mo staring blankly at his phone and smiled confidently:

"Well, Lin Mo?"

"Now do you understand?"

"Even if we're strong, facing two thousand veterans with higher levels, individual power is negligible."

"If we fight alone, we're scattered sand—only by working as a team do we have any chance!"

Ye Kong stood up, straightening his clothes:

"I grew up in the Beijing compound, surrounded by command experience since childhood."

"I'm the perfect choice for commander."

"All you need to do is be our strongest firepower—unleash everything when I call for it."

"What do you say?"

Ye Kong looked at Lin Mo with full confidence.

He believed his argument was flawless.

Ye Kong looked at Lin Mo with confidence.

He believed his words had been perfectly seamless.

No one would refuse a reliable commander.

However.

Lin Mo waved his hand again: "Forget it. I don't see much difference between two thousand and two hundred."

"…"

Ye Kong's smile froze again.

No difference?

Boss, do you even know what you're saying?

A tenfold difference in numbers becomes a hundredfold—and you tell me it's no big deal?

Wang Dawei, seeing Ye Kong about to lose his temper, stepped forward quickly and soothed him:

"Brother Kong, hey, don't get angry, don't get angry."

Ye Kong glared fiercely at Wang Dawei and yanked his hand away: "Why would I be angry? I'm doing this for everyone's sake!"

He took several deep breaths, forcing himself to calm down, then turned to stare at Lin Mo:

"Lin Mo, let me be straight with you."

"Every cohort of the Long Xu Class selects a leader. It's tradition—and requires unanimous approval from all students."

"Before coming to you, I already contacted everyone else."

"Apart from you, the Han sisters, and Chu Lingxuan, everyone else has agreed to let me be leader."

Ye Kong's eyes gleamed with provocation:

"Since you're so confident, let's follow the rules."

"Fight!"

"Whoever wins becomes this year's leader of the Long Xu Class!"

"The loser must obey the winner without question!"

Looking at Ye Kong's serious expression,

Lin Mo sighed helplessly.

"What a hassle…"

"Can't we just skip the fight? I really don't want to be leader—it's too exhausting."

Ye Kong pressed forward:

"If you don't fight, then from now on, you follow my orders!"

"…"

Lin Mo shook his head slightly.

Follow someone else's orders?

Be controlled by someone?

Have to coordinate tactical positioning?

Damn, that's even worse.

Compared to that, a fight really does seem the simplest solution.

"Fine, fine."

Lin Mo stood up from the sofa and stretched: "If you insist on fighting, then fight. Where to?"

Seeing this, Ye Kong's eyes flickered with battle lust.

He'd never accepted Lin Mo's authority.

So what if he's a tri-element mage? At the end of the day, isn't he just a blank-slate mage? Can he really be stronger than my space element?

Why should he lord it over me?

"Let's go to the arena in our villa district. I'll go call the rest of the class."

"Today, we settle this quickly—let's crown a true Number One of the Long Xu Class."

…

The new year is coming—thank you for being here. Wishing all readers a blessed Year of the Horse, warmth always by your side, happiness and health!