35: Chapter 35 My Daughter Has the Potential to Become a Soul Emperor

"Haha, my daughter has the potential to become a Soul Emperor!"

In the front row of the spectator stands, Lu Jianjie was grinning from ear to ear.

Several business partners nearby chimed in, "Congratulations, President Lu! With scores like these, Lu Mengmeng can pick any of The Four Great Academies as she pleases!"

"Exactly. With these scores, all four Martial Soul Academies in the Dragon Kingdom will be fighting to get her."

"Sigh, compared to my kid, I'd be over the moon if he could just get into a second-tier academy."

Someone changed the subject and looked toward the figure of Lin Mo in the arena.

"By the way, President Lu, that examinee named Lin Mo seems quite close to your girl. His files say his Martial Soul is an F-rank Support Tool Martial Soul, so how is he using nothing but offensive Soul Skills?"

"This…" Lu Jianjie scratched his head, not knowing how to answer.

He had only heard from his daughter's fragmented words that Lin Mo's Martial Soul seemed to have mutated, but he really didn't know the specifics.

In the arena, Lin Mo suddenly sneezed and rubbed his nose. "Who the hell is talking about me?"

Lu Mengmeng giggled and punched him lightly. "Who else could it be? It must be that old man of mine! Who told you to drag his precious daughter into 'committing suicide'?"

"Hey, that's called a heroic sacrifice!" Lin Mo raised an eyebrow. "Besides, didn't that let you play the big hero for once?"

"Haha!" The three of them looked at each other and laughed. The sunlight fell on their faces, which were stained with black ash, as if plating them with a layer of fine gold.

Because Lin Mo and his two companions held out until reinforcements arrived, the remaining examinees could only earn points within the city until the martial exam ended.

Once all the examinees were teleported out of the secret realm, the rankings were set in stone.

Lu Mengmeng and Niu Dachun were pushed out of the top three, and Lin Mo's top spot was snatched away by Qin Ran with 725 points, relegating him to second place.

Third and fourth place were taken by two other examinees with SS-rank Martial Souls.

Lu Mengmeng ultimately ranked fifth in the city, and Niu Dachun fell to eleventh. It wasn't the top, but it was far beyond expectations.

This year's college entrance exam thus came to an end.

Back at school in Class 7 of the third year, all the students, along with their homeroom teacher Teacher Liao Dafu, stared at the three of them as if they were monsters.

Teacher Liao Dafu adjusted his glasses, filled with emotion. "Tsk, tsk, tsk… I never expected this. My humble Class 7 actually occupies three of the top ten spots in the city!"

"I must first congratulate student Qin Ran for taking first place in the city!"

Teacher Liao Dafu looked at Qin Ran, his tone barely concealing his excitement. Qin Ran, however, had a calm expression, seemingly not very satisfied with her current score. This was because 20 points of her 725 total were added only because of Lin Mo and his two companions.

"And the most unexpected performance in this exam was Lin Mo."

"And of course, Mengmeng and Da Chun!" Teacher Liao Dafu turned to the two of them, his eyes slightly reddening. "You three were all problem students before, but now you've become the face of our Class 7. You've really brought honor to your homeroom teacher!"

Lu Mengmeng stuck out her tongue. "It's all thanks to the boss for carrying us!"

Niu Dachun nodded vigorously and grinned foolishly.

In the back of the classroom, Vice Squad Leader and a few others packed their schoolbags with ugly expressions.

Their final rankings were outside the top twenty. If not for the bonus points caused by Lin Mo and the others, they wouldn't have been able to get into a first-tier academy at all.

Therefore, hearing Teacher Liao Dafu praise Lin Mo and the others in front of the whole class made them feel as uncomfortable as if they had eaten excrement.

"Alright, that's enough talk. Today is the last time our Class 7 will sit together in this classroom!" Teacher Liao Dafu changed the subject, suddenly becoming a bit sentimental.

"Tomorrow, you will all go your separate ways to pursue higher realms."

Teacher Liao Dafu took off his glasses and wiped the lenses with his sleeve, his voice choking up slightly.

"I have nothing to give you, so I'll just say a few heartfelt words!"

"On the path of cultivation, talent is important, and mindset is important, but your life is even more important. You must remember, always put your own life first in the future. Otherwise, no matter how good your Martial Soul aptitude is, it's all for nothing."

The whole class burst into laughter. After the laughter subsided, Lin Mo suddenly stood up and bowed to Teacher Liao Dafu.

"Teacher Liao, thank you for not kicking me out of the classroom these past three years."

During these three years of high school, this old man who was always talking about bonuses had given him quite a lot of leeway. Otherwise, with all the problems he caused that often made teachers cough up blood, he would have been kicked out of school long ago.

"What are you thanking me for!" Teacher Liao Dafu waved his hand, his eyes becoming even redder. "I knew you weren't a fish in a pond. And your Martial Soul…"

The words reached his lips, but Teacher Liao Dafu immediately stopped. He knew he had made a slip of the tongue.

He had been present when the Martial Soul was awakened. Since Lin Mo's Martial Soul had changed so much now, he must have guessed there was a secret behind it. Perhaps… this kid's theory was correct…

That night. Niu Ers Food Stall was filled with the atmosphere of life.

Lin Mo, Lu Jianjie and his daughter, and Niu Dachun's family sat around a large table, which was filled with steaming hot dishes.

"Xiao Mo, Uncle will toast you a drink!" Niu Er raised his glass, the liquor inside shimmering with fine bubbles.

"If it weren't for you pulling Da Chun along, this kid would probably be stuck in the back kitchen washing dishes for the rest of his life!"

He tilted his head back and downed it in one gulp, his Adam's apple bobbing, his eyes full of gratitude.

Lin Mo hurriedly waved his hand. "Uncle, please don't say that. If it weren't for you and Auntie Lan looking after me these past few years, I don't know where I would have been starving."

"If anyone is toasting, it should be me to the two of you." As he said this, he picked up the drink in front of him and raised it towards Auntie Lan and Niu Er.

Auntie Lan smiled and patted the back of his hand, her eyes slightly red.

"This child, why are you being so polite with us?"

"Exactly, exactly. Let's not be polite, eat, eat."

At this moment, Lu Jianjie put down his chopsticks and looked at Lin Mo. "The three of you, you're all planning to go to Vermilion Bird Academy in the East Sea, right?"

"Yes, we've already discussed it." Lin Mo nodded.

"That's good." Lu Jianjie pondered for a moment. "My Lu family still has a little face in the East Sea. Although we can't compare to those top aristocratic families, if you really encounter something you can't solve, just call Auntie Lin."

"Hey, Uncle Lu, you're overthinking it. It's just going to school, what could possibly happen?" Lin Mo said dismissively.

"You kid, you're still too naive." Lu Jianjie frowned slightly, his expression becoming serious.

"I'll tell you the truth: from the moment you step into the Martial Soul Academy, you won't be facing classrooms and teachers, but rather endless missions and slaughter."

Lin Mo and Niu Dachun were both stunned, and even Lu Mengmeng stopped her chopsticks and looked at her father.

"To put it bluntly, the academy is actually a concentration camp for selecting elites. The academy will regularly issue missions to hunt strange beasts and explore secret realms, some even requiring you to go deep into dangerous zones. Do you think you can still be as free and comfortable as in high school?"

"Simply put, from the moment you enter university, you'll have the status of half-soldiers. Only by surviving until graduation can you be considered to have some ability."

Lin Mo and his two companions were instantly shocked. Before the college entrance exam, the authorities opened the secret realm, letting examinees risk their lives for training. Lin Mo had already felt something was wrong. After all, during that time, quite a few classmates lost their lives. He had originally thought it was just an accidental occurrence. But he had forgotten that danger is the norm for Awakened ones. This world is far more dangerous than he imagined.