Soon, a day passed, and Jiang Lin completely understood the benefits these two breathing techniques could bring him.
When operating as a passive, they could increase his stats by about 1,000 points per day, while running them at full power actively would increase them by 3,000 points per day.
In this way, by the time he reached Rank 20 in fifty days, his various attributes would exactly reach 200,000.
However, he didn't know if his limit would be slightly higher than others, given that he was breaking through with a base attribute of 100,000 points.
Upon reaching the 2nd-rank, the gap between each level changed from the original 10,000 to 30,000.
In other words, if he cultivated until he had 200,000 base attribute points, he would be roughly equivalent to the base level of a Rank 23.
Of course, that was only the most basic level.
A genius among the 2nd-rank naturally wouldn't have such stats, and they would certainly have their own unique understanding of skills and combat.
However, in terms of skills, none of the geniuses Jiang Lin had encountered so far could compare to him.
Today was the second day after the mid-term exam ended, and there were significantly fewer people on campus.
Of course, there were also many new students arriving for the academy's entrance exams to report in.
At this time, Jiang Lin felt a sense of seniority looking at the juniors, much like how the other students had looked at him when he first enrolled.
Though they weren't much older, that sense of superiority naturally existed.
A mysterious cycle of reincarnation had begun...
Jiang Lin didn't pay much attention to it. He hadn't seen any of his old classmates from Boulder City yet, so just like yesterday, he went out to bully some ants before heading to the school canteen to get today's medicinal food for free.
While these cultivation resources were currently free for Jiang Lin at the school, they were not for unlimited use.
After all, if a student with a special scholarship mooched a ton of medicinal food from the school and then turned around to sell it at a price lower than the market rate, the school wouldn't suffer a huge loss, but it would still feel as unpleasant as swallowing a fly.
Therefore, the contract for the special scholarship mentioned such situations, requiring students to consume only within a reasonable range.
Afterward, Jiang Lin returned to his dormitory once more and began his dull and tedious cultivation.
However, this bit of boredom was no longer an issue for the current Jiang Lin. He felt that compared to before his transmigration, his patience had improved countless times over.
Time passed quickly, and in the blink of an eye, it was almost noon.
At this moment, Jiang Lin's door was knocked upon.
Then, he saw a somewhat unexpected figure.
It was actually his good desk-mate from Boulder City, Aili!
"Aili?! How did you find this place?!"
Jiang Lin asked in surprise.
Aili breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing that Jiang Lin was intact, with no missing limbs, and was even radiating a faint golden light.
"Why do you think I came looking for you?"
Aili puffed out her cheeks, looking at Jiang Lin like a resentful wife.
When Jiang Lin had entered the God-blessed Land, he was covered in blood, and he had left in a hurry after completing the quest. It was impossible for Aili not to worry.
And after he came out, he hadn't written her a letter to let her know he was safe, making her fear that something had truly happened to him.
She was perhaps the only person who knew the truth about his situation. If she knew Jiang Lin was in danger and didn't find anyone to save him, leading to an accident, she would have been overcome with guilt!
Regardless, she had to come to Clearwater City for the Saint Brilliance Magic Academy entrance assessment anyway, so she had packed her things immediately after exiting the God-blessed Land and set off for Clearwater City.
Jiang Lin was somewhat moved, feeling that while this girl could be a bit manipulative at times, she was actually a good person.
"Thanks for the concern!
"Did you tell anyone else about what happened in the God-blessed Land?"
Jiang Lin asked.
Aili shook her head, her clear and bright eyes looking behind Jiang Lin.
"Of course not...
"I traveled such a long way, aren't you going to invite me inside to sit?"
Jiang Lin thought about it; there was nothing in the dormitory he couldn't show, so he took a half-step back and made room for her.
Jiang Lin's accommodation was as simple and unadorned as ever.
The bedding the school had provided previously was still neatly placed on the bed, untouched.
In fact, because it hadn't been used for so long, a thin layer of dust had even settled on it.
However, because the dormitory had its own air purification array, there was much less dust on this bedding compared to items left idle for the same amount of time under normal circumstances.
Aili immediately spotted Jiang Lin's unused bedding and instantly guessed the reason.
"Since you arrived in Clearwater City... have you ever slept?"
Jiang Lin thought for a moment.
"Does being unconscious count?"
He had fallen asleep several times before when he was limit-breaking high-tier skills.
Aili looked at Jiang Lin in silence.
"So what exactly happened back then? Why were you so heavily injured?"
Then, she found a place to sit down and asked.
Jiang Lin shrugged and pointed his finger at Little Black.
"It did it."
Little Black looked bewildered.
"Meow? Meow meow?"
It hadn't understood what the two were saying since the door opened, and it didn't know why they were having such a conversation.
Aili looked at Little Black, who was staring at her in confusion, and fell into silence once more.
Seeing that Jiang Lin was unwilling to speak, she didn't force the issue.
At that moment, Jiang Lin asked:
"By the way, how did you find my dormitory and manage to sneak in?"
You should know that while he lived in a single dormitory, the single dormitories were also divided by gender.
After all, the school was afraid that if these adolescent boys and girls lived too close to each other, they might end up causing... complications.
"Well... I asked around about your classroom and found out you weren't in there, but there was an beastkin girl present.
"I asked her about you, and she mentioned that you're usually in your dormitory.
"Then I found the single dormitories and went to the dormitory auntie to get your room number."
Aili explained her series of maneuvers to Jiang Lin.
If she hadn't been able to find Jiang Lin even at the dormitory, she would have prepared to find the temple or the school leadership.
However, the temple in Clearwater City might not have helped look for Jiang Lin.
After all, in a city as large as Clearwater City, people went missing frequently. They would at most make a record of it and notify the person who reported it if a body was found.
But it was hard to say for the school. Jiang Lin was, after all, a genius who could receive a special scholarship. If something happened to him at school, they would likely investigate thoroughly.
Hearing this, Jiang Lin understood.
It was already summer vacation, and the management of the dormitories wasn't that strict.
The two of them then began to chat idly.
Like classmates reuniting after graduation, they casually talked about some interesting things that had happened since they parted.
For example, whether they knew how a certain classmate was doing.
They mentioned a certain simp number two. According to Aili, after graduation, the guy had rushed to confess to her and naturally received a friend-zone card.
As for their classmate Zach, who ranked second in their year, after the assessment scores came out, he had asked her which school she planned to apply for. Upon learning it was the same Saint Brilliance Magic Academy he intended to go to, he expressed his hope that they could continue being classmates in Clearwater City.
Although Zach seemed to have seen through Aili's act of leading him on, he seemed perfectly willing to be led. It was obvious to anyone with eyes that Zach still liked Aili.
However, hearing this made Jiang Lin a bit worried.
Since his old classmates were all coming to Clearwater City, his secret identity was likely to be blown!
When the time came, a simple inquiry would reveal that he was truly an orphan and that his relationship with the City Lord and the Temple Master was entirely based on dumb luck. Would his previous acts of showing off make him a target?
After a moment of thought, Jiang Lin felt he was probably overthinking it.
By the time school started, he would already be Rank 20—a Rank 20 at his limit. He would be an existence even more powerful than many geniuses in the elite class.
If anyone came to target him, they would just be delivering skill points to his doorstep.
According to Jiang Lin's inquiries and understanding during this period, as long as he didn't go too far, those old fossils in the families wouldn't bother to settle scores with a junior like him.
"Then when do you plan to take the entrance assessment?"
Jiang Lin asked at this point.
The school entrance exam for Saint Brilliance Magic Academy was held after the regular students' mid-term exams ended, and students who wanted to apply could come at any time.
The content and intensity of the assessment would be much simpler than the special assessment Jiang Lin had taken, and the requirements would be lower.
Aili rested her chin on her finger and began to think.
"I just broke through to the 1st-rank, so I still need to consolidate it a bit more.
"I came to Clearwater City early mainly because I was worried about your safety.
"So I should wait a while before taking the entrance exam."
Jiang Lin nodded upon hearing this.
"Then what are your plans next? Are you staying in Clearwater City?"
Hearing this, Aili's eyes darted around, and she intentionally leaned a bit closer to Jiang Lin.
"Oh my, I'm just a girl who's come all this way to a city alone. I'm unfamiliar with the place, and my family didn't give me much money. Even food and lodging are a problem..."
As she spoke, she pitifully held her hands in front of her, tapping her fingertips together as she looked at Jiang Lin.
Jiang Lin was silent. He was wondering if this girl was still trying to fleece him for gold coins.
"I don't have any money, but if you're short on cash, I can contact my classmates to lend you some. Don't worry, they're all rich. If you don't borrow much, they won't even charge you interest."
He really was out of money. Most of the hundred gold coins the school had given him over the last two months had been spent on borrowing skill books, and the other half had been spent on various magic potions when he entered the Blood Realm. So now, he could be said to be penniless.
Hearing this, Aili's face immediately darkened.
Naturally, she wasn't looking to borrow money from Jiang Lin. If she were really as poor as Jiang Lin, she wouldn't have chosen Saint Brilliance Magic Academy.
After all, she wasn't confident in securing a scholarship.
However, Jiang Lin added:
"But for meals, I can treat you. You can eat whatever you want at the school canteen."
She was, after all, his good desk-mate, and the fact that she had rushed to Clearwater City at this time out of concern for him meant that treating her to a meal was no problem.
Aili sighed and said something Jiang Lin completely didn't expect.
"I don't have any relatives in Clearwater City, and staying at an inn is too expensive. So, could I stay in your dormitory for a while?"
Hearing this, Little Black, who had been watching from the side, suddenly looked up and glanced back and forth between the two in confusion.
Jiang Lin also never expected she would propose to stay in his dormitory.
She had already moved quite close to him at some point. With Jiang Lin's current perception, he could even feel her body heat and her slightly erratic breathing.
This seemed... a bit ambiguous, didn't it?
If Zach and that simp number two knew about this, wouldn't they have nowhere to cry?
After Aili finished speaking, she didn't explain further but silently looked at Jiang Lin, waiting for his answer.
Jiang Lin was about to find a reason to refuse, but at that moment, his door was knocked upon again.
So he stood up.
"We'll talk about this in a moment."
The door opened, and a striking figure appeared before his eyes.
The moment Jiang Lin saw this person, he almost turned around to slam the door shut.
With silver hair and handsome features, it was none other than the old classmate they had just been discussing—Zach.
"Zach? Why are you here?"
Of all the times to come, he had to come right now.
Thus, Jiang Lin intentionally raised his voice as he spoke.
He wanted Aili, who was sitting in his room, to hear him so that she could come over to say hello and explain the coincidence, avoiding an awkward situation later.
However, hearing Jiang Lin say that Zach had actually come, Aili's expression instantly became grave.
Because just a few days ago, Zach had said he was going to Clearwater City to take the school exam and asked if she wanted to go with him.
And she had explicitly refused him, saying she planned to complete her breakthrough first and then consolidate for a month before coming to take the exam!
If she met him now, not only would it be hard to explain why she had come early, but it would be even harder to explain why she was staying in Jiang Lin's room!
Jiang Lin clearly didn't want to reveal what had happened in the God-blessed Land to the outside world. If she wanted to explain to Zach the reason she came early, it might be quite troublesome!!
After a brief brainstorm, realizing she couldn't come up with a decent excuse, Aili searched around Jiang Lin's room and eventually set her sights on his wardrobe.
Although Jiang Lin lived on the first floor, unfortunately, his door was directly opposite the window. She wasn't sure if she would be seen if she climbed out.
Thus, under Little Black's shocked gaze, Aili tiptoed and hid inside Jiang Lin's wardrobe!
Meanwhile, outside the door.
"To see you, of course!"
Zach laughed.
While he and Jiang Lin weren't best friends, they were on good terms.
At that moment, Jiang Lin received a telepathy message from Little Black:
'That girl hid in the wardrobe. She looks like she doesn't want to meet your classmate.'
Jiang Lin was a bit confused as to why she didn't want to come out and see him, but since that was the case, he wouldn't force it. He would just find an excuse to lead Zach away.
"I see. You haven't eaten yet, right? I was just about to go eat. How about we chat while we eat?"
It was indeed better if the two didn't meet. If Zach saw Aili in his room, no matter how he explained it, some misunderstanding would definitely arise.
Imagine going to visit an old friend to catch up, dropping by his house at a random time, only to find the white moonlight you have a crush on sitting in his home while he lives alone.
It was hard to imagine what kind of world-shattering changes would occur in the other person's psyche.
However, Zach pulled out a packaging box like a magic trick.
"No need. I specifically brought you some grilled fish from Boulder City. This place was Little Black's favorite. Whenever I took Little Black out to find food before, it basically only wanted to eat from this place."
"Your deluxe single room should have plenty of space, right? Let's just eat in your room. I haven't seen Little Black in a long time either. I wonder if it missed me..."
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