Chapter 220: What the hell did I give birth to?

Through several heavily guarded inner gates.

Lin Mo and Guhe followed Zhang Qi into an extremely spacious reception hall.

Lin Mo's gaze swept across the surroundings.

The interior decor lacked the imperial opulence and extravagance outsiders imagined.

Yet every detail exuded a profound, ancient grandeur shaped by time.

Heavy rosewood furniture emitted a faint, subtle fragrance.

Potted plants in the corners were rare exotic flowers and herbs unseen outside.

Subtle, yet radiating boundless depth.

"Please, make yourselves at home."

Zhang Qi walked to the main seat and gestured to the guest chairs on either side.

Then he turned to Lin Mo and smiled:

"Lin Mo, would you like something to drink? Or something to eat?"

Lin Mo politely shook his head.

"No thank you, Uncle Zhang."

Guhe also waved his hand.

"Secretary General, you're too kind. Just plain water will do."

Soon after,

staff brought in several cups of hot tea and withdrew.

Guhe lifted his teacup and took a small sip.

Then he turned to Lin Mo beside him, a teasing glint in his eyes.

"Lin Mo, you'll be meeting your father soon."

"Your father and Old Nie have been outside the country these past weeks, traveling nonstop."

"His impression of you probably still dates back to the day you left for Tianbei City."

At this, Guhe couldn't help laughing.

"When he finds out his precious son has grown this strong, his jaw's gonna drop."

Hearing this, Lin Mo rubbed his nose, slightly embarrassed.

"Heh…"

"Principal, you're flattering me too much."

"It's not that impressive."

"I'm just a four-element Magic King—compared to my father's strength, I'm still far behind."

"Puff—"

Hearing Lin Mo's words,

Zhang Qi, who had just raised his teacup, jerked his wrist violently.

"Just… 'just'?"

Zhang Qi's mouth twitched uncontrollably.

"Lin Mo…"

"A Magic King at eighteen. A four-element Magic King."

"Either one of those alone would terrify a crowd."

Zhang Qi set down his teacup, voice grave:

"And you're both at eighteen and a four-element Magic King. Don't be modest."

Hearing Zhang Qi's outburst,

Lin Mo burst out laughing.

"Uncle Zhang, you're too kind."

"I'm just afraid pride leads to defeat."

"And in front of elders, shouldn't one maintain a humble demeanor?"

The three exchanged glances, and the reception hall filled with light laughter.

…

About fifteen minutes passed.

The reception hall's door was flung open from outside.

Accompanied by a loud, boisterous laugh.

Two figures strode in.

The one leading was Old Nie, his hair pure silver.

Though dressed in a simple Zhongshan suit, every movement radiated an aura of quiet, commanding authority.

Half a step behind Old Nie,

was the burly, fearsome-looking Lin Tianhao.

Lin Tianhao's gaze locked instantly onto Lin Mo seated there.

He ignored Guhe and Zhang Qi entirely, striding straight toward Lin Mo.

Seeing this, Lin Mo quickly stood up.

Thud!

Lin Tianhao slammed both hands onto Lin Mo's shoulders.

"Hahahaha!"

"Son!!!"

"I missed you so much!"

Without pause,

he crushed Lin Mo in a rough, exuberant hug.

His solid muscles, his violent strength,

nearly crushed Lin Mo's bones.

"Cough… cough… cough…"

Lin Mo's eyes rolled back.

"Let… go!"

"Dad, are you trying to strangle your own son?!"

Hearing Lin Mo's protest, Lin Tianhao finally laughed and released him.

He studied Lin Mo.

"Brat, not bad!"

"Just a few days apart, you've changed—your spirit and vigor are totally different, much stronger!"

Then Lin Tianhao raised an eyebrow:

"So tell me."

"How many intermediate skills did you learn these past days? Let your old man guess—given your talent, one intermediate skill per day isn't unreasonable, right?"

"Four? Five?"

"Shouldn't the total be around seven or eight?"

"My son is awesome!"

Hearing his father's question,

Lin Mo began counting on his fingers.

"Intermediate skills…"

"Fire: Flame Pillar, Flame Wind Wings, Firestorm, Flame Roar…"

"Earth: Quicksand Domain, Earthshaker·Thousand Rock Spears, Dead Thorn Rock Spear—oh right, and a scatter variant of Dead Thorn Rock Spear…"

"Lightning: Thunder Scale Descent, Thunder Chain Prison…"

"Ice: Frost Heaven Shatter Ice Array…"

Lin Mo counted, nodding to confirm each one.

"Yeah, intermediate skills—I've got about eleven or twelve total."

"…."

Lin Tianhao's smile froze slightly.

"What the—?"

"Awesome!"

"Seriously awesome!"

"No wonder you're my son! This talent? Totally inherited from me!"

Lin Tianhao's grin stretched to his ears.

At that moment,

Old Nie, standing behind, could no longer hold back.

He bit back laughter, his eyes darting between Lin Mo and Lin Tianhao.

"Hehehe…"

Nie Lao chuckled twice.

"Tianhao, you as a father still have too narrow a vision."

"Why don't you ask your precious son… how many Gao Jie skills he's mastered already?"

"Gao Jie skills?"

Upon hearing this, Lin Tianhao first froze, then waved his hands frantically.

"Stop joking, Nie Lao!"

"I know my son is gifted beyond compare, unparalleled in the world."

"But he's only been awakened for a few days! Nie Lao, don't tease us father and son like this."

At this point,

Lin Tianhao suddenly realized and grabbed Lin Mo, pointing at Nie Lao.

"Come on, son, let me formally introduce you."

"This is one of the Five Elders of Dragon Nation's Tian Shu Bureau—Nie Zhenguo, Nie Lao."

"Say hello to Nie Lao!"

Lin Mo's expression turned serious, and he gave a slight nod.

"Hello, Nie Lao."

"Good, good boy."

Nie Zhenguo smiled and nodded.

Then he looked at Lin Mo and said gently:

"Lin Mo."

"Come on, satisfy an old man's curiosity—tell me yourself, how many Gao Jie skills have you mastered so far?"

Hearing Nie Lao ask this question again,

Lin Tianhao's smile slowly faded.

He glanced at Nie Lao's utterly serious expression, then at Guhe, who stood beside them, smiling silently.

A sense of utter absurdity suddenly surged in his chest.

No way.

He's serious?

Lin Mo scratched his head and said calmly:

"Emmm… about seven. One fire, one earth, two lightning, three ice."

"Yeah, seven total."

"???"

Lin Tianhao's eyes widened.

Not just Lin Tianhao.

Even Nie Lao, upon hearing the number "seven," couldn't help but jerk his hands behind his back.

"Wha… what?!"

Lin Tianhao's voice trembled.

"Son, don't mess with your old man!"

"Seven Gao Jie skills?!"

"I'm the mighty War God, Thunder Emperor—I've spent half my life and barely mastered three Gao Jie lightning skills!"

"You're eighteen and you've got seven? And spread across four elements?!"

Nie Zhenguo also took a deep breath and let out a bitter laugh.

"A few days ago, Principal Gu gave me a report—Lin Mo had just mastered three Gao Jie skills."

"At the time, I already thought that was pure fantasy."

Nie Zhenguo shook his head, face filled with disbelief:

"I never expected…"

"That in just a few short days, you'd already mastered seven?!"

Beside them, Guhe stroked his beard and burst into laughter:

"Hahahaha!"

"After all, he's a once-in-ten-thousand-years genius—mastering four new Gao Jie skills in a few days isn't unreasonable, is it?"

Hearing Nie Zhenguo and Guhe's words,

Lin Tianhao's gaze swept across the faces of Nie Lao, Guhe, and Zhang Qi.

Clearly,

they were all serious.

It's real!!

Lin Tianhao turned his neck, staring at the handsome boy before him.

What the hell…

What kind of thing did I give birth to?