Anya's mood was anything but pleasant.
She was only a sixteen-year-old girl at the age when her heart should be beginning to flutter.
However, her mind was almost entirely focused on combat and self-improvement, so she had no thoughts regarding romance.
It was only out of pity for a genius and a desire to contribute to her family that she had brought this talented monster back home.
She hadn't expected it to turn into such a scene.
She had originally just been thinking about it to herself.
But Jiang Lin had gone and blurted it out directly.
At a time like this, if it were a girl like the young priestess Aili, she might have playfully leaned in and asked if Jiang Lin was willing to marry into her family, reversing the roles of the aggressor and the defender.
But Anya simply did not have that kind of personality.
Therefore, she felt an inexplicable sense of embarrassment and even wanted to punch Jiang Lin right in his smart mouth.
However, after thinking it through and realizing she probably couldn't beat him in a fight, she abandoned that notion.
In the end, she could only reply somewhat mechanically:
"Yes, it's indeed easy for people to misunderstand. But I really didn't know before that the family used this method to recruit geniuses."
She emphasized her previous words once more.
The evening breeze carried a hint of chill, blowing her smooth golden hair and revealing an exquisite face pulled tight.
It seemed she wanted to use her usual coldness to mask her loss of composure.
Jiang Lin found it amusing.
"Hey, Miss Anya, why are your ears so red?"
Hearing this, Anya's already tight expression tightened even further.
"It's the wind,"
she said stubbornly.
"Then why is your face red too?"
Jiang Lin continued to ask, heedless of the danger.
In truth, only the edges of Anya's ears had a slight flush, and it was fading quickly; the blushing face was entirely something Jiang Lin had made up.
Shing!
"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Calm down! Calm down! Miss Anya! Put the light blade away!!"
A light blade shining with holy radiance suddenly appeared in Anya's hand.
Jiang Lin cleared his throat; he hadn't expected Anya to have such a strong reaction.
Although Anya was a school-beauty-level girl with many secret admirers, because her own strength was too great and she was single-mindedly pursuing power, there were very few people who actually dared to pursue her.
The few boys who didn't know better and tried to woo her were usually beaten up and left in disgrace.
If they weren't even as strong as her, how could they expect to date her?
Therefore, Anya's experience and thickness of skin appeared somewhat naive when compared to people like Jiang Lin and Aili.
"Ahem, what are your plans for later? I'm preparing to head to Qinghe City in a few days to participate in the special recruitment exam for Saint Brilliance Middle Magic Academy."
Jiang Lin changed the subject.
His original plan was to go straight to Qinghe City for the exam after reaching level 10. After all, if someone with his strength couldn't pass the test, then others basically had no hope.
Seeing that Jiang Lin was no longer pushing his luck, Anya finally retracted the light blade in her hand.
"I'll probably follow the normal progression, finish the graduation exams to get my basic scores, and then go for the Saint Brilliance Middle Magic Academy's entrance exam."
After a pause, Anya said:
"Right, I remember that if you're going for the special recruitment exam, you need to bring a recommendation letter from the school."
Jiang Lin nodded.
"Yeah, that's right. Director Wills said he would take me to find the principal to write one."
Anya thought for a moment and said:
"Actually, it doesn't strictly have to be a recommendation letter from the school; other people of status work too. I'll help you ask my father; he can write one for you. With a recommendation letter from the city lord, you won't be as easily marginalized or discriminated against."
Jiang Lin was somewhat surprised.
"Do people in Qinghe City really marginalize and discriminate against outsiders?"
Anya shook her head.
"It's just that people without backgrounds are discriminated against; that's a common problem in many developed regions. Boulder City is small and doesn't have many noble families; the largest family is our Castrot family, and because of my father's discipline, we don't have many profligate sons, so this trend isn't obvious. But there are many family scions in Qinghe City, so they will look down on people like you who have no background."
Jiang Lin pondered for a moment before saying:
"Then I'll have to trouble Miss Anya and the city lord."
It wasn't that he was afraid of people discriminating against him. After all, with his hard work and talent, he could quickly shut the mouths of everyone who looked down on him and leave them far behind.
However, he was afraid of the people behind those family scions.
After all, not everyone was a good person like the city lord.
It was hard to say if they would trip him up from the shadows.
If he had a recommendation letter from the city lord, it would at least prove he had someone behind him, and a rank-7 powerhouse at that.
That way, those people would have to weigh the consequences before trying to move against him.
Jiang Lin thought for a bit and planned to ask Salas later to see if he could get a recommendation letter from the Temple's hall master as well.
That way, in the eyes of others, he would have at least two rank-7 powerhouses standing behind him.
With the two strongest figures in Boulder City backing him, wouldn't he be able to strut around with impunity in Qinghe City?
Thinking of this, Jiang Lin felt it was a great idea.
The rich young lady really was his lucky star!
The dim light from the magic crystal lamps shone on the stone-paved road. Jiang Lin and Anya walked side by side, their shadows stretching long under the lamps.
Footsteps echoed on the empty street. Anya, thinking of something, asked Jiang Lin:
"When my father asked if you were willing to marry into the family earlier, you looked like you were willing?"
Hearing this, Jiang Lin was stunned for a moment, then his mind raced.
Should he tease Anya again...?
At a time like this, if he said something like 'I already guessed it was the collateral branch' or 'it doesn't matter who I marry into,' although it would convey 'I don't like you, don't overthink it' and make him seem free and easy, Jiang Lin wasn't a teenager who didn't dare admit his feelings. He naturally wouldn't be in such a hurry to distance himself.
Sometimes, a bit of appropriately ambiguous talk could quickly bring two people closer together.
Although Jiang Lin had no plans for romance, he didn't mind getting closer to a beautiful girl like Anya.
Thus, Jiang Lin let out a sigh.
"Sigh, sometimes there's no way around these things. After all, Miss Anya knows that I have no family background and no resources to support me. It's very difficult to go far. So, although marrying into a family is a bit hard to talk about, it's something to consider.
"Besides, the city lord didn't specify at the start that a genius of my level could only marry into the collateral branch, so it's easy to have misunderstandings..."
As he spoke, he intentionally or unintentionally glanced at Anya a few times.
Hearing this, Anya's face, which had just relaxed, tightened up again.
"Hey, why are your ears red again?"
Shing!
"Calm down! Calm down!!"
...
Back at the school, the teaching buildings that should have been dark were now mostly brightly lit.
Almost all the third-year students, and more than half of the second and first-year students, were now pulling all-nighters every day, not going home to sleep.
Jiang Lin bid farewell to Anya, letting her return to her classroom first, while he himself ran to the tail-end class to check on his old classmates.
For some reason, he felt that having reached level 10, he wouldn't feel right if he didn't visit Tie Chen and the others.
It also happened that Tie Chen hadn't come to visit him in a long time.
Jiang Lin walked into the tail-end class. The layout was not much different from when he had left, except that the seat next to Tie Chen was now empty.
Jiang Lin no longer suppressed his aura, releasing the ripples of level 10. With his hands behind his back, he strolled around grandly, like a lion surveying its territory.
"Oh my, student Little Tie, you've actually reached level 5."
Tie Chen opened his weary eyes from his meditative posture, looking at Jiang Lin with a pair of massive dark circles under his eyes.
His expression was somewhat dazed. He stared at Jiang Lin for a long time before asking:
"Who are you...?"
Hearing this, Jiang Lin's eyes widened.
Holy crap, has he pulled so many all-nighters he's gone stupid?!
He hurriedly slapped Tie Chen a few times.
Tie Chen was momentarily stunned by the slaps, but then his consciousness gradually cleared up.
"Holy crap, Jiang Lin, why are you slapping me again?"
Jiang Lin's vision went dark.
"Take a break. I feel like you've almost turned yourself stupid with these all-nighters."
Tie Chen scratched his head.
"I've been rotating between several different magic potions. I feel like my state is okay?"
Jiang Lin's face was covered in black lines. He took out the tea leaves he had just obtained and gave Tie Chen a taste.
After taking a sip of the steaming tea, a refreshing sensation rushed straight to the top of his head.
Tie Chen said in surprise:
"Holy crap, Brother Jiang! This tea has a kick! Where did you buy it?!"
"The Kohlst family gave it to the city lord, and then the city lord gave it to me."
Jiang Lin said with feigned nonchalance.
Tie Chen's eyes widened upon hearing this.
"You actually know the city lord? Brother Jiang, are you that powerful now?"
"Of course."
Jiang Lin smiled slightly, then pulled out the tea tin.
"Here, I'll give you half. I'll keep the rest in case I need it later. I didn't hold it against you when you called me Brother Jiang earlier, but what do you call me now?"
"Dad!"
He didn't need it himself, but his old desk-mate Tie Chen could certainly use it, so he naturally shared it.
His Brother Jiang was the definition of one word—loyal!
After showing off in front of Tie Chen for a while and informing him that he would likely leave Boulder City tomorrow or the day after, Jiang Lin left the tail-end class and returned to the elite class.
Jiang Lin pulled out Little Black and placed the final book, 【Light-speed Dash】, in front of it.
Having lost track of how many souls he owed, Jiang Lin once again completed a trade with Little Black.
Afterward, Little Black also began explaining it to Jiang Lin.
Once he had a general understanding of the skill, Jiang Lin took Little Black to the school's training grounds and began practicing the skill.
The current training grounds were even equipped with a bright magic crystal lamp by the school to illuminate the entire area, as a bunch of students would basically be here every night practicing skills or sparring.
Jiang Lin heard that the school was recently preparing to have some teachers work night shifts specifically to watch over these all-nighter students and ensure their safety.
Regarding this, countless teachers were filled with complaints.
Jiang Lin could even feel that some teachers coming to class lately were starting to exude a sense of resentment.
It wasn't directed at him, but rather they were subtly mocking the school leadership during class for exploiting their labor.
Of course, there were also some teachers who were very satisfied. They often said in class, "You are the most diligent and hardworking batch I have ever taught."
Jiang Lin felt they might be happy too early. After all, future students would surely be even more involved in the involution.
One day, Director Wills had come to talk to him.
He said the school was preparing to have the next few batches pull some all-nighters and then compare their final exam results with previous years.
If the results were significantly better, they would consider making all-nighters a mandatory requirement.
At that time, the potions used for the all-nighters would be charged, purchased, and distributed uniformly by the school.
Director Wills asked Jiang Lin if he had any suggestions for the school's future development.
After thinking for a bit, Jiang Lin strongly recommended rules such as evening self-study, collective dormitories, mandatory cleaning of quarters, and daily synchronized morning runs—with the requirement that the gap between students during the run must not exceed one fist—to Director Wills.
Director Wills expressed that while he didn't quite understand, he had noted them down and was prepared to try them out with the next few batches.
...
Time passed quickly, and in the blink of an eye, it was dawn again.
Under Little Black's guidance, Jiang Lin successfully initiated 【Light-speed Dash】.
【Light-speed Dash (uninitiated) → (initiated)】
Layers of complex and profound magic essence circuits appeared on his legs. With a sudden stomp on the ground, his figure moved forward dozens of meters at an extremely fast speed.
This speed was more than four or five times faster than his own movement.
Don't look at the distance of ten-plus meters as short; it was completely sufficient in many battles and could even change the outcome.
Although the skill was named 【Light-speed Dash】, the actual speed naturally couldn't reach the speed of light.
Then, he used a 【Random Skill Upgrade】.
【Light-speed Dash (initiated) → (superlative)】
Jiang Lin tested it again.
After reaching superlative, the limit distance of 【Light-speed Dash】 reached about twenty meters, and the distance could be clearly controlled.
Secondly, the original single dash became three consecutive dashes. Although there was a slight delay in between, it was quite practical in pursuit scenarios.
Finally, the activation time also became shorter, almost reaching the level of instantaneous muscle memory.
Afterward, Jiang Lin arrived in front of the school's medical room.
Looking at the clear words "limit-breakable 0/8" behind 【Shield of Divine Grace】, he felt a bit intimidated.
Then, he gritted his teeth and steeled his heart, repeatedly thinking 'life and death are up to fate, wealth and honor are up to heaven' as he exchanged 12 【Random Skill Upgrade】 points and used them alongside 2 【Designated Skill Upgrade】 points all at once.
In the next moment, a massive amount of memories flooded in.
Unsurprisingly, Jiang Lin's vision went black, and he immediately fainted.
【Shield of Divine Grace (superlative) → (limit-broken)】
【Shield of Divine Grace obtained adaptive improvements】
【Defense-type skill talent slightly increased, light-attribute affinity slightly increased】
【Random Skill Upgrade 19 → 7】
【Designated Skill Upgrade 2 → 0】
After being unconscious for an unknown amount of time, Jiang Lin felt a sense of comfort.
Opening his eyes, he saw a ceiling that was no longer unfamiliar.
It was the inside of the medical room.
A very familiar voice also came from the side.
"Silver threads of moonlight, weave a web of tranquility, shroud the hum of clamor, calm the vibrating thoughts..."
It was exactly Aina, the priestess of the medical room.
Jiang Lin opened his eyes and noticed that this priestess sister looked quite exhausted.
"You're awake?"
However, those familiar words lacked the gentleness from their previous meetings.
"Ms. Aina, you look a bit tired. Did something happen?"
Jiang Lin sat up, rubbing his somewhat swollen head as he asked.
Aina glanced sideways at Jiang Lin.
"Don't even mention it. You're already the forty-third student this week to come to the infirmary because of an all-nighter."
Hearing this, Jiang Lin fell silent.
Not everyone was suited for all-nighters, and once the number of people pulling them increased, it was inevitable that there would be cases of using the wrong medicine or taking the wrong dosage.
As a result, students frequently fainted.
"Now every day I come to work, every other day I see a student dumped at the door of the medical room, left there for me to treat.
"Do you know how terrifying that is?
"At first, I thought I was being threatened, that someone had killed a person and left a corpse at my office door!!"
Aina ran her fingers through her hair, looking at Jiang Lin with resentful eyes.
"Not only that, the school leadership is recently discussing whether to set up a night shift for the infirmary so we can treat fainted students at any time...
"And with the workload increasing so much recently, the salary hasn't gone up at all!!
"Student Jiang Lin, tell me, who exactly started this trend of all-nighters..."
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