Chapter 60: The Cohort of the Gods Descending

In the monitoring room.

Not a pin could be heard.

Everyone's gaze was fixed straight on the huge main screen.

In the footage, the battle in the Black Mud Swamp had ended completely.

In that patch of rotten mud, dozens of beams of white light shot skyward; those were layers of soul protection, seemingly testifying to the cruelty of this battle.

"Cough... cough..."

Xu Wenchang coughed twice. "I didn't expect this kid to actually succeed in comprehending an intermediate-tier earth-element skill, the Quicksand Domain."

Saying this, Xu Wenchang turned his head to glance at Lin Tianhao and joked:

"Old Lin, does your son happen to have some kind of system on him?"

"You know, like the cheat codes protagonists have in those popular web novels now? Otherwise, skills are given away like they're free, just click and receive?"

Lin Tianhao looked at Xu Wenchang with a strange expression. "Old Xu, how old are you? You're still reading those kinds of web novels?"

Xu Wenchang's old face flushed red, and he let out a dry laugh:

"Cough... It's just that my little nephew has been really obsessed with these things lately, so I followed along and flipped through a few pages... Don't say, some of them actually look pretty exciting."

"I think you've just read too many novels; read less of that messy stuff."

Lin Tianhao rolled his eyes at him.

"Don't blame me for thinking wildly."

Xu Wenchang shook his head, his tone full of disbelief. "Who comprehends two intermediate-tier skills in a single day at this level, at this point in time?"

Hearing his old classmate's words, Lin Tianhao's air of pride was impossible to hide:

"Old Xu, you know, skills are purely about comprehension."

"Some people's epiphanies are like constipation; they can't squeeze out a fart in ten days or half a month."

"My son Mo'er is just that... a torrential downpour, impossible to stop, no problem with that, right?"

"Pfft... Alright, the more you say, the more outrageous it gets; aren't you ashamed of being so gross?"

Su Wan, standing nearby, couldn't help but laugh out loud and glared at him.

"Although the metaphor is pretty gross..."

Su Wan paused, and a trace of unhidden pride appeared on her face. "But the logic is indeed correct."

Xu Wenchang helplessly let out a bitter smile.

He shifted his gaze back to the screen, onto Lin Mo, who was wandering around looking for monsters to farm.

Having served as an admissions officer at Long Xu Ban for so many years, he had seen geniuses as numerous as carp crossing the river.

But someone like Lin Mo, with skills popping out one after another, had never existed in history.

However...

Just because it hasn't appeared doesn't mean it's impossible.

After all, isn't history meant to be broken?

Perhaps this kid can truly forge a path never before taken.

Thinking this, Xu Wenchang's gaze grew even more appreciative.

Just then, Lin Tianhao's slightly boastful voice rang out again:

"Old Xu, what do you say? My son Mo'er going to Long Xu Ban should be the top dog of this cohort, right?"

"Hahahaha..."

Xu Wenchang chuckled lightly, then looked at Lin Tianhao with deep meaning. "Old Lin, in Jianghai City, your son Lin Mo is indeed in a league of his own, the undisputed number one, but..."

Xu Wenchang paused and said:

"The geniuses of this year are anything but ordinary; internally, we've dubbed this cohort 'The Cohort of the Gods Descending'."

"Huh? Is the intensity this high this year?"

Hearing this, Lin Tianhao raised an eyebrow.

"Mm."

Xu Wenchang nodded, his demeanor serious as he spoke:

"Let's put it this way: this cohort has one space-element mage, one light-element knight, and twelve SSS-tier geniuses."

"Moreover, they almost all comprehended intermediate-tier skills before the major exam."

Hearing these words, Lin Tianhao sucked in a sharp breath. "It seems the intensity really is quite high..."

You have to know, light-element and space-element are existences rarer even than SSS-tier.

And this cohort produced two of them at once?

"Yes."

Xu Wenchang sighed with emotion:

"So, although Lin Mo is monstrous, in this situation of a chaotic battle among gods, wanting to firmly hold the position of top dog is difficult."

Lin Tianhao fell silent for a moment, then let out a loud laugh:

"That's for the better; if there were no difficulty, how boring would that be?"

"The Gods Descending, you say? Then we'll slaughter the gods!"

"Hahahaha!"

Xu Wenchang was also infected by this bold spirit and laughed loudly:

"Fine! Then I'll just look forward to it, to see if Lin Mo, who has no affinity, can truly slaughter the gods."

Saying this, Lin Tianhao locked his gaze on Zhao Lei, who was preparing to sneak away quietly in the corner.

"Hey, Old Zhao, where are you in such a hurry to go?"

These words were spoken.

Zhao Lei's figure stiffened; with his back to everyone, he forced his steps to a halt.

He slowly turned around, forcing a look on his face that was uglier than crying:

"Ahem... isn't it okay to go to the toilet?"

Lin Tianhao leisurely stood up and adjusted his collar:

"Go to the toilet? Fine, who could possibly stop Commander Zhao from taking a shit or farting?"

"But... hand over that set of equipment first. I'm afraid you'll make a run for it to pee and renege on the debt."

"Reneging on the debt?"

Zhao Lei instantly exploded:

"Lin Tianhao, stop slandering me with blood in your mouth! I, Zhao Lei, keep my word like a nail driven in! I accept the consequences of the bet!"

As he spoke, a flash of light appeared.

A set of mage armor radiating an orange-yellow halo appeared in his hand.

【Phantom Spirit Set (Legendary)】

Looking at this set of equipment in his hand, Zhao Lei felt his heart dripping blood.

This was something he had spent tens of millions of Dragon Nation Yuan on, relied on countless connections, used up many favors, and spent a full half-year collecting!

Sigh...

He let out a long sigh in his heart.

Fortunately, he had wanted to give his son a surprise and hadn't let him in on the details beforehand.

If Little Yu found out that his father had lost this set of divine armor, originally meant for him, to Lin Tianhao, and it was now being worn by Lin Mo...

Zhao Lei dared not imagine that scene.

He feared his son wouldn't catch his breath and would simply croak right then and there.

"Um... Old Lin."

Zhao Lei made one last struggle, his tone softening:

"Can we discuss something? Can we swap it for money? Fifty million! I'll give you fifty million Dragon Nation Yuan, and I keep the equipment, how about that?"

"No."

Lin Tianhao refused without hesitation. "Money? I have plenty of money."

"But this set of equipment is a rare treasure with a price but no market; it happens to be perfect for my son Mo to use as a transition."

Seeing this, Zhao Lei took a deep breath to calm his mood and finally tossed that set of equipment to Lin Tianhao.

"Hmph, take it, take it."

Lin Tianhao caught the equipment in one hand, weighed it in his palm, and a shamelessly smug smile appeared on his face:

"Thanks, Old Zhao."

"If my son Mo knew this set of armor was a gift from you, he'd surely be moved to tears."

"I'll have him write you a thank-you letter specifically, and then present you with a silk banner. How about that?"

"Get lost!!!"

Zhao Lei could no longer hold back; he roared and left the monitoring room with his adjutant.

Xu Wenchang chuckled softly and shook his head.

He looked at Lin Tianhao, his expression becoming slightly more serious:

"Alright, I must go. I need to return first and report to the old folks."

"After all, a blank-slate mage with no elemental affinity displaying such talent is a situation far too special."

Lin Tianhao nodded and made no attempt to detain him: "Fine, then go back and get busy. When Mo goes to Kyoto, you must look after him."

"Rest assured, does that even need you to say it?"

Xu Wenchang waved his hand, turned around, and strode out of the monitoring room with long, swift steps.

With Xu Wenchang's departure, Lin Tianhao gently put his arm around Su Wan's shoulder.

"Wife, the big exam is almost over. Shall we go to the exam venue to prepare to pick up our top-scoring son and bring him home?"

"Mm."

Su Wan smiled slightly.