Chapter 67: Leaving Nuoding Academy
Lin Yuan stood up and glanced at the sky outside the cave entrance — it was already nearing noon.
"Oh no!" Lin Yuan suddenly slapped his forehead, his expression changing slightly. "I got too caught up being happy and completely lost track of time!"
"I've been gone for several days already. That girl Xiao Wu is still waiting for me back at the academy!"
With that thought, Lin Yuan did not linger any longer.
His figure flashed, turning into a black afterimage as he shot straight out of the waterfall, speeding toward Nuoding City.
When the midday sun fully enveloped Nuoding City, a black blur finally rushed in through the city gates.
Lin Yuan did not slow down in the slightest and headed straight into the academy.
"Ahem. I'm back."
Inside the room,
Xiao Wu, who had been sitting on the edge of the bed swinging her legs out of boredom, suddenly lifted her head when she heard the voice.
The moment her large eyes landed on Lin Yuan, a flash of delight lit up within them — but she quickly forced it down.
Replacing it was an indignant, puffed-up expression, like a wronged little wife.
"Hmph!"
Xiao Wu turned her head aside, her rabbit ears drooping as she puffed out her cheeks and said, "Lin Yuan! You still know how to come back?"
"You'd better explain yourself properly. You suddenly disappeared for days without even saying a word — where exactly did you go fooling around?!"
In truth, through the diary copy and the chat group, Xiao Wu knew better than anyone what Lin Yuan had been doing these past few days.
Not only had he dug up Ah Yin, but he had also swindled away her hundred-thousand-year soul bone!
But as a "smart" girl, she knew what should be said — and what absolutely should not.
Since Lin Yuan wanted to act, she would play along!
Looking at Xiao Wu's cute and sulky expression, Lin Yuan laughed inwardly.
This girl… her acting is still way too green.
How is this anger? This is clearly just coquettishness, asking for comfort.
Lin Yuan walked over to Xiao Wu and very naturally reached out to rub her head, putting on an apologetic look.
"Sorry, sorry. I left in a hurry and didn't have time to explain things to you."
"These past few days, I went to the nearby Soul Hunting Forest."
"The Soul Hunting Forest?" Xiao Wu blinked, deliberately pretending to be confused. "What were you doing there? There don't seem to be any soul beasts suitable for you there."
"Mainly to survey the terrain and get a better understanding of the soul beast distribution."
Lin Yuan spouted nonsense with a straight face, looking so sincere that even he was about to believe himself.
"Xiao Wu, you know I've already reached rank twenty. It's time for me to obtain my second soul ring."
Xiao Wu followed up smoothly, "Did you find a suitable one?"
Lin Yuan shook his head, a trace of "regret" flashing through his eyes. "No."
"You know my second soul ring can be at the thousand-year level, and I want a soul skill with a locking effect. That kind of soul beast is pretty rare — there aren't any in the nearby Soul Hunting Forest."
At this point, Lin Yuan fixed his gaze on Xiao Wu, his eyes burning.
"From what I've learned, only a place like the Star Dou Forest might have the kind of soul beasts I'm looking for — like the Thousand-Eyed Demon Eagle or the Soul-Locking Falcon."
"So…" Lin Yuan paused, his tone turning solemn. "I'm planning to leave Nuoding Academy."
"On the way to Heaven Dou Imperial City, I can pass through the Star Dou Forest and take care of my second soul ring."
"We've already been at Nuoding Academy for almost two years anyway. There's not much left here that can teach us anything."
"Xiao Wu, do you want to come with me?"
Upon hearing this, Xiao Wu didn't hesitate in the slightest.
She hopped off the bed, placed her hands on her hips, and said as if it were the most natural thing in the world:
"Isn't that obvious?!"
"I'm your little sister!"
"You're leaving — how could you just abandon me here by myself?"
"And besides…" Xiao Wu lifted her chin proudly. "Even though I haven't reached rank twenty yet, I'm not far off!"
"I'll go with you to Heaven Dou Royal Academy. With my talent, the teachers won't possibly refuse me just because I'm two levels short, right? Hehe!"
Looking at Xiao Wu's confidence, Lin Yuan couldn't help but laugh.
"Don't worry. With your talent, they'll be lining up to take you in."
"Your soul power growth rate is already terrifying enough — you're at rank eighteen now."
"Meanwhile, that Tang San whom the Master places so much hope in is still hovering around rank sixteen."
When Lin Yuan mentioned Tang San, Xiao Wu muttered inwardly:
'Hmph, of course!'
'I've been working really hard this past year, okay?!'
'Not only did I spar with you every day, I even ate that utterly embarrassing ten-thousand-year whale rubber…'
'If I still couldn't beat Tang San after that, then my Hundred-thousand-year Rogue — no, Soft Bone Rabbit—identity would be a complete joke!'
Although her cultivation speed was already faster than that of humans in the early stages due to rebuilding her cultivation after transforming,
Lin Yuan, this "cheater," was simply too demoralizing.
They were clearly cultivating together, yet he still had time to mess around with forging and designing — and his soul power still surpassed hers.
Was this the advantage brought by extreme attributes?
The cultivation speed was just absurd.
…
Since they had decided to leave, both of them acted decisively. After packing up briefly, Lin Yuan brought Xiao Wu to the principal's office.
Knock knock knock.
"Come in."
The old principal was wearing his glasses and grading documents. When he saw Lin Yuan and Xiao Wu enter, a kindly smile immediately spread across his face.
"Oh, Lin Yuan and Xiao Wu. What is it? Are you having problems with your cultivation?"
Over the past two years, Lin Yuan and Xiao Wu had been the academy's most prominent figures — and also the old principal's pride and joy.
Lin Yuan stepped forward, bowed slightly, and got straight to the point.
"Principal, we've come to bid you farewell."
"Farewell?"
The principal froze, even dropping the pen in his hand. "You… are you applying for graduation?"
"Yes."
Lin Yuan nodded and explained, "I've already broken through to rank twenty, so we plan to head to Heaven Dou Imperial City and apply to Heaven Dou Royal Academy."
Hearing this reason, the old principal fell silent for a long while.
"Sigh… I knew this day would come sooner or later."
"This is only a junior soul master academy after all — too small a temple to house the likes of you two true gods."
"I originally thought that with your talents, even reaching the Soul Grandmaster realm would at least take until your third year."
"But who would've thought… in less than two years, you'd already reached this point."
Though his heart was filled with reluctance, the old principal was a clear-headed man.
Forcing them to stay would only delay their future.
"In that case."
The principal stood up, walked over, and gave Lin Yuan's shoulder a firm pat.
"I wish you both a bright and boundless future!"
"Once you get to Heaven Dou City, don't disgrace Nuoding Academy!"
"With your talents, even in a place like Heaven Dou Royal Academy, where geniuses gather, you'll definitely shine brilliantly!"
At this point, the principal seemed to recall something and paused before asking,
"By the way, before you leave, are you planning to say goodbye to the other students?"
"You two hold quite a bit of prestige in the academy."
…
End of Chapter