Chapter 22: Undercurrent

The biggest advantage of this part-time job is the freedom of time.

As long as you finish your main work, your time can be freely arranged; you don't need to waste it in the botanical garden, in the greenhouse, putting on a show, killing time.

After patrolling the greenhouse back and forth several times and confirming that all the soil where seeds had been sown had been thoroughly watered by the rain, Lin Ke then walked out of the greenhouse.

Leaving the third botanical garden, Lin Ke headed straight for the library.

He found some materials on the seed cultivation of ordinary and extraordinary plants, read them carefully, and prioritized reading the information about the silver star flower.

Not long after Lin Ke left, the local female student and acting garden director Sufei Lukiya lifted the curtain and entered the greenhouse.

She first sensed the humidity in the air and the changes in elements and magical power, then grabbed a few clumps of soil from different areas and rubbed them in her hands.

"Two secondary mist rain techniques?"

Sufei Lukiya showed a look of disdain, snorted, and said, "Country bumpkin is just a country bumpkin!".

The secondary mist rain technique and the growth technique make a good pair; this is no secret at the Ruiwosuosi Biological and Medical College, and many people know it.

Lin Ke happened to hear the professor mention it in passing during the class on "The Essence, Origin, and Development of Witchcraft," and after looking up extensive materials in the library, he finally confirmed it.

But for the wizard apprentices in the Northern District of the Junior College where Sufei Lukiya is, this is common knowledge.

Moreover, they also know many little tricks for using such pairings as the secondary mist rain technique and the growth technique together.

For example, for the silver star flower seeds that have encountered this vitality problem in the greenhouse, using the secondary mist rain technique and the growth technique once each day for seven consecutive days can trigger the seeds to sprout.

The college indeed has set up trials for wizard apprentices on some part-time jobs.

As the acting garden director, Sufei Lukiya has certain authority to decide whether to initiate a trial and its difficulty.

She set a higher-difficulty trial for Lin Ke.

First, the information left in the greenhouse is very simple, only the name and basic introduction of the silver star flower, with no mention of any problem with its seeds;

Second, the seeds had been pre‑scattered in the soil, so an inattentive person might, following the job description, cast just one secondary mist rain technique and leave, easily leading to omissions or mistakes;

Finally, the work notice Lin Ke received contains a wordplay: it only mentions needing to cast the secondary mist rain technique, never mentioning the need to pair it with the growth technique, merely hinting at "awakening vitality."

Sufei Lukiya's goal is simple: to get rid of Lin Ke and not work with him.

Throughout the botanical garden, everything is under the surveillance of the spirit of the intelligent management center tower; she cannot be too overt in targeting Lin Ke, so she resorts to petty tricks within the rules.

So far, her little tricks seem to have worked.

"Hmph!"

Sufei Lukiya gave a few more cold chuckles, clapped her hands, and walked out of the greenhouse.

……

Night fell.

Lin Ke, whose notebook was completely filled, returned to the dormitory.

As usual, he washed up, changed clothes, and meditated.

However, before going to sleep, Lin Ke received a call request from Mo Li.

Mo Li had never contacted Lin Ke this late before; even if she had learned some news from somewhere, she would normally choose to communicate the next morning.

Now she suddenly got in touch, so something must be up.

Lin Ke sat down in the study and agreed to the "video call" request.

Mo Li's refined face appeared on the screen, her expression slightly panicked; upon seeing Lin Ke, she immediately said, "Lin Ke, I got word that Lifusi Fulansi has found a few of our batch's Five Grade Aptitude Newbloods and told them to cause trouble for you tomorrow! What should we do, Lin Ke?"

Upon hearing that, Lin Ke couldn't help but again picture the black person greeting face. jpg in his mind.

What grudge, what resentment?

That damn Lifusi just won't go away, right?

"Don't panic, it's nothing serious."

Lin Ke first comforted Mo Li, then asked, "Where did you get this news from, is it reliable? Any other news?"

Mo Li took a deep breath, calmed her emotions, and replied, "That younger sister who previously told me about Lifusi and Enrike just told me."

"What is that younger sister's identity, for her information to be so reliable?"

Lin Ke asked doubtfully, "This is practically a know-it-all sage, a master at gathering intelligence."

"She..."

Mo Li hesitated, then said hesitantly, "She... she is the girl who was first pursued by Enrike last year, then suffered harm from Lifusi and was abandoned, Mina. But she pulled through, did not quit the Newblood Mutual Aid Society, and has been secretly obstructing Lifusi all along."

"Is it her?"

Lin Ke had some doubts in his heart, but he did not voice them to Mo Li.

After thinking, Lin Ke spoke up to reassure: "No need to worry; it's not a big deal. The college forbids private duels, and a few Five Grade Aptitude individuals can't do anything to me."

Lin Ke spoke with full confidence.

Everyone is just a Newblood who has only recently begun cultivation; no matter how talented, at most they are a First Grade Wizard Apprentice—how many spells can they learn?

Even if they learned an attack-type zeroth‑circle spell, could they cast it instantly?

The requirement for instant casting is too high; what if we change it to completing the spell within five seconds?

With Lin Ke's current physique, he can run over 100 meters in five seconds, then rush in and strike with a fist as big as a sandbag—damage would certainly be enough.

Unless the opponent sets an ambush and goes all out for the kill.

Otherwise, Lin Ke truly has no weakness.

Of course, Lin Ke will not let down the necessary vigilance.

After chatting a few more simple sentences with Mo Li, once her emotions had completely settled, Lin Ke ended the "video call".

……

Meanwhile, Lifusi's mood grew worse and worse.

After being turned down by Mo Li Jideman and Linke Grand, Enrike then picked out a few blonde‑haired, blue‑eyed girls that matched his taste for him.

But for some unknown reason, these girls' vigilance suddenly spiked, causing Lifusi to repeatedly fail.

The Anger Flame Meditation Method that Lifusi switched to study was not obtained from the academy, but rather a fragment of a high-level meditation method purchased from the black market outside; although his meditation progress far exceeds the meditation method given to him by the academy, it has two major drawbacks.

First, the lust fire rises high and must be regularly vented; second, he is prone to anger and loses self-control.

What's even stranger is that this lust fire burns not only the body, but also the spirit, consciousness, and will.

Therefore, Lifusi must copulate once a month with a woman matching his XP in order to relieve the side effects of the Anger Flame Meditation Method.

Before he was promoted to Third-rank Wizard Apprentice, Lifusi could already maintain his sanity normally, would no longer lose his temper, and act impulsively.

But after his recent promotion, he has faintly begun to be unable to maintain his sanity normally.

Moreover, having not vented his lust fire for the past month, Lifusi is really about to lose control.

Enrike inadvertently brought it up again, as if ever since Linke Grand ignored Lifusi, these girls' vigilance suddenly heightened.

Lifusi's anger flared; he made up his mind, regulations be damned, first he would give someone a beating to vent his frustration, then talk.

(End of chapter)