Chapter 51: Ripples

Lin Ke felt that Mo Li's tone was somewhat strange.

Exactly where it was strange, he could not determine for a moment.

Gathering his thoughts, Lin Ke continued with the matter: "Don't rush into a hasty decision; you can think it over first, after all, helping in the lab would take up a lot of study time."

"No need to think it over; it's decided."

Mo Li's tone was unusually firm: "Without you leading, I couldn't keep studying. Besides, only a fool would refuse a chance to come to such an advanced lab; I know how important experiments are for cultivation!"

"Then okay."

Lin Ke nodded, confirming that Mo Li sincerely wanted to help in the lab as an assistant, so he didn't urge further.

The lab was very clean, with intelligent puppets tidying up every day, so no need to clean.

The two didn't linger, leaving soon.

Teaching building.

As usual, Lin Ke and Mo Li arrived early at the classroom to study.

But something strange happened.

Those who entered the classroom afterward would almost all deliberately glance toward Lin Ke.

Some in pairs or small groups would also whisper to each other, discussing something quietly.

Lin Ke didn't mind; using the Brain Seal Technique could effectively control his emotions.

Mo Li, however, found it hard to bear.

Halfway through the autumn semester, a considerable number of Newbloods had advanced to First Grade Wizard Apprentice, with both the quantity and quality of their mental power increased.

The eyes are the organ best able to convey emotion and will, so a person's gaze is described as bright and spirited.

With the increase in the amount and quality of mental power, the oppressive feel of one's gaze and its richness in conveying emotion and will naturally also increase.

After Mo Li advanced to First Grade Wizard Apprentice, her perceptual ability became even sharper.

Thus, Mo Li felt a strange sensation, as if a prick were on her back.

It made one feel uncomfortable all over, with a tingling scalp.

It left Mo Li unable to calm down and study seriously.

Feeling off, Mo Li simply put down her books and paper, took out her Portable Smart Brain, browsed the "forum," and killed time.

Soon after, Mo Li let out a soft exclamation, bumped her elbow against Lin Ke, handed over her Portable Smart Brain, and had him look at what she had just discovered.

Lin Ke glanced sideways and saw that the screen showed his own "photo" and a brief biography.

The "photo" was a frontal shot, likely taken during the first two weeks after he enrolled.

At that time, Lin Ke was sitting in the library reading room, turning his head to look out the window to ease his brain's pressure.

The photographer might have been shooting the library and incidentally captured Lin Ke as well.

Only after the exam results were posted and Lin Ke gained attention did he post the "photo," riding the wave of popularity.

What bothered Lin Ke was not the "photo."

But rather a sentence in the bio: "Suspected mastermind behind the internal strife between the Vice President of the Newblood Mutual Aid Society, Lifusi Fulansi, and core member Enrike Bernalis, as well as the suspect in Enrike Bernalis's killing."

Few people know about these two matters.

Among those in the know, the most likely to have spread it is Mina Hafcheck.

However, other possibilities cannot be ruled out.

For example…

Lin Ke looked up, glanced around, and saw the five familiar brothers sitting in a row in the corner, whispering something.

After thinking, Lin Ke didn't wave loudly to call them over; instead he stood up and walked over himself.

Who would have thought that as Lin Ke approached, the atmosphere gradually became a little strange.

The five brothers first stopped whispering, then their faces stiffened, and finally two of them began to tremble.

"What's the point of shaking like that? I'm not going to eat you."

Lin Ke smiled, his tone gentle: "How did you do on the exam? I saw you working hard lately."

Since the last time Lin Ke disciplined them with fists and glare, they have indeed become much more diligent.

"Not… not bad. They… they all made it into the top twenty."

Still, the brother who spoke up last time was the one talking, though he stutters a bit.

Lin Ke chuckled; he of course heard the tremor in the voice.

That's a sign of fear of him.

Being afraid is appropriate.

No more beating around the bush, Lin Ke asked directly: "Do you know who posted my 'photo' on the forum and who wrote that line in my bio?"

Upon hearing this, the five brothers stared at each other, their expressions somewhat complex and conflicted.

Seeing this, Lin Ke realized he had asked the right people.

But he didn't press too hard, merely waiting quietly.

While waiting, his gaze gradually turned indifferent.

After a moment, the brothers, unable to bear the psychological pressure, revealed what they had heard: "It's said that the president of the Newblood Mutual Aid Society investigated these two matters."

"Understood, thanks!"

Lin Ke nodded satisfactorily, lightly patted each of the five brothers on the shoulder in turn, then turned and walked back to his seat.

During the chat, both sides kept their voices low.

The spot where the five brothers sat was also off to the side, with no outsiders around.

Consequently, the Newbloods who arrived early at the classroom saw only five Five Grade Aptitude geniuses, who showed no arrogance before Lin Ke and even appeared somewhat humble.

As a result, far fewer people dared to stare at Lin Ke without restraint.

This let Mo Li relax quite a bit.

After Lin Ke knew it was the president of the Newblood Mutual Aid Society causing trouble, he had no other thoughts.

A vice president and a core member encountered trouble one after another.

If he were sitting in the president's seat, he would also have to find a way to investigate the truth.

Lin Ke merely noted in his heart the content: 'On some year, some month, some day, the president of the Newblood Mutual Aid Society framed me.'

If he later encounters a good opportunity, taking revenge handily would also be quite reasonable, right?

Now, focus on attending class peacefully.

The morning's lessons ended in a slightly peculiar atmosphere.

As soon as class ended, Mo Li, who had suffered considerable torment, urged Lin Ke to leave the teaching building.

"I can't go on living like this."

In the cafeteria, Mo Li stabbed her tray forcefully with knife and fork, and shouted gloomily, 'Usually we haven't even met face to face, so why all this? Look, look, look—what's there to see!'

Before experiencing it firsthand, Mo Li had no idea how terrifying it was to be stared at and whispered about by so many people with strange looks.

"No way!"

Mo Li angrily threw down her knife and fork, hands on hips, declaring, 'I've decided—if anyone looks at me like that again, I'll glare right back!'

Lin Ke ate his meal in silence.

After the meal, the two headed to the Living Services Building.

On the way, they encountered people who had seen Lin Ke's photos and biography on the forum; whether freshmen or upperclassmen, they couldn't help but glance an extra time or two extra times.

As she had said, Mo Li indeed glared back fiercely at each one.

Who would have thought the effect would be quite good?

The number of people giving them strange looks actually dwindled.

Lin Ke also felt quite surprised, then entered the shop he had patronized several times, spent one standard first‑grade Magic Stone, and bought four times the amount of Silver Star Flower normal seeds he had purchased previously.

Lin Ke purchased some of every variety the shop had to offer.

The materials are ready; the experiment is about to begin.

Thanks for the generous rewards from the readers, thank you!

(End of chapter)