In short, all in all.
Lin Nuo’s main strategy was nothing but pure sincerity.
After a passionate and moving speech, Lin Nuo successfully calmed down Deacon Su Yuntao, who had been so excited he was on the verge of losing his composure.
Well-versed in the essence of workplace deception from his past life, he wore a sincere expression as he stated that he was still too young and not yet mentally prepared to join Spirit Hall and leave his hometown to study in Spirit City.
However, he immediately changed his tone, patted his chest, and promised Deacon Su Yuntao that in the future, whenever he decided to join any faction, Spirit Hall would absolutely be his only choice!
Thanks to Lin Nuo’s perfectly timed expression of gratitude, Deacon Su Yuntao was already deeply convinced of the child’s character.
Although Deacon Su Yuntao felt it was a great pity that he couldn’t secure such a monumental achievement right then and there, he decided to play the long game, giving this peerless Genius the full respect and understanding he deserved.
In order to build good karma early on, Deacon Su Yuntao waved his hand and, in the name of the Nuoding City Spirit Hall branch, insisted on stuffing ten shiny gold coins into Lin Nuo’s pocket as an initial living stipend.
Before leaving, this enthusiastic deacon even patted his chest and left a solemn promise:
“Child, if you ever need to hunt a Spirit Beast in the future, don’t stand on ceremony—come find me at the branch anytime!”
“Spirit Hall will never refuse you!”
…
After walking out of Spirit Hall, Lin Nuo, clutching the referral letter from the Spirit Hall branch and his Spirit Master certificate, headed toward the Notting Junior Spirit Master Academy.
Nuoding City wasn’t particularly large.
Lin Nuo walked and asked for directions along the way, arriving at the academy gates without much trouble.
However, before he could even get close, a harsh, grating sound of cursing drifted over.
“Hahaha, a common chicken wants to turn into a Phoenix?
Innate Full Spirit Power with Blue Silver Grass?
You old geezer, get lost and take this little beggar with you!”
Immediately following this was a muffled “bang,” accompanied by the doorman’s scream:
“Ouch!
You little brat, you dare to hit me?
I’ll kill you!”
Is this…
catching a classic moment?
Lin Nuo raised an eyebrow and looked toward the source of the noise.
He saw a doorman wearing the academy uniform sprawled on the ground in a sorry state, and standing before him was a boy dressed in coarse, simple clothing.
The boy looked completely unremarkable, even a bit dark and thin—the type you would never be able to pick out if thrown into a crowd.
This must be Tang San.
It seemed that before Awakening his Blue Silver Emperor Bloodline, this kid truly was just a generic background character with no distinguishing features.
Lin Nuo’s sharp eyes noticed that Tang San’s left arm was slightly raised at that moment; beneath his sleeve, a faint, cold metallic glint was aimed directly at the doorman on the ground.
Silent Sleeve Dart?
Lin Nuo clicked his tongue inwardly.
Just because he was shoved and mocked by the doorman a few times, he was ready to commit murder in broad daylight?
He certainly lived up to his reputation as a man who constantly labeled others as having “taken the path to death.” His hostility really was extraordinary.
“Stop!”
Just as Tang San was about to trigger the mechanism, a slightly hoarse male voice suddenly rang out.
A thin, middle-aged man with a flat top and temples slightly frosted with gray walked out slowly, his hands clasped behind his back.
He looked ordinary, even appearing somewhat decadent, but the moment he appeared, the aura of forced profundity he projected immediately drew everyone’s attention.
The man with the flat top took the certificate issued by Spirit Hall from Tang San with just a few words.
After glancing at it, he turned around with a stern face and reprimanded the doorman, perfectly embodying the image of an upright and incorruptible academy leader.
However, from a short distance away, Lin Nuo keenly caught the flash of ecstasy deep within that middle-aged man’s eyes!
Innate Full Spirit Power combined with the trash Spirit, Blue Silver Grass!
Wasn’t this the most perfect test subject for his theory of the “Ten Core Competitiveness of Spirits”?
After staying in this small place for so many years, had he finally encountered the destined, brilliant apprentice he had dreamed of?
Furthermore, Grandmaster Yu could be certain of one thing: this kid before him must possess a powerful second Spirit!
Otherwise, how could a mere Blue Silver Grass have the talent of Innate Full Spirit Power?
Just as Grandmaster was secretly pleased, preparing to put on airs and lead Tang San into the academy, his peripheral vision inadvertently swept over Lin Nuo, who was watching the spectacle from the edge of the crowd.
Just one glance.
Merely from that inadvertent glance, the step Yu Xiaogang had just taken seemed to be nailed to the ground.
He was struck as if by lightning, frozen completely in place.
He stared fixedly at Lin Nuo’s face—a face that had become delicate, soft, and as exquisite as carved jade due to his Spirit Awakening.
His breathing instantly ceased, and his lips began to tremble violently.
A whisper, filled with disbelief and an endless array of complex emotions, squeezed out of his trembling throat:
“Dong…
Donger?!”
Tang San was stunned.
Lin Nuo was also bewildered.
Who was this flat-topped man calling?
Grandmaster Yu walked up to Lin Nuo in two or three strides, bringing his face almost right up against Lin Nuo’s.
‘What the hell is this?’
Lin Nuo tactically leaned back, putting a safe distance between them.
Meanwhile, in Yu Xiaogang’s mind, something called “world-shaking wisdom” was frantically elbowing his brain, helping him complete a logical loop.
Too similar!
These eyes, this silhouette—they were practically carved from the same mold as Donger back then!
As expected, she still has me in her heart!
Sending this child all the way to Nuoding City, right under my nose—she must want me to teach the child personally, to make up for the regrets of the past!
However, a flash of self-mockery, heartache, and loneliness immediately followed in his eyes.
The child was already this old, which meant that, in the end, Donger had indeed married another man!
Then, why would she entrust the child to me now?
“Chi…child, are you here to enroll?”
Yu Xiaogang’s voice trembled, his eyes turning red.
Looking at the flat-topped man before him who had suddenly begun to wildly overthink, his expression even appearing somewhat shattered, Lin Nuo felt a wave of goosebumps from this inexplicable display of deep affection.
He nodded, completely baffled, and subconsciously clutched the Spirit Hall certificate in his hands against his chest.
It was this movement that caused Yu Xiaogang’s downward gaze to happen upon that brand-new Spirit Master certificate.
On the Spirit line, four large characters were clearly written: Death Demon Spider!
Boom!
The final piece of the puzzle snapped perfectly into place.
Yu Xiaogang felt as if his heart had been struck by a heavy blow.
For a moment, the spine he had kept straight to maintain the demeanor of an expert instantly collapsed.
He seemed to have been drained of all his vitality.
Lost and dejected, he turned around and stumbled toward the interior of the academy.
His back appeared desolate, like a defeated stray dog.
He didn’t even have the heart to glance at Tang San, his “destined apprentice,” as he passed him by; the previous ecstasy and calculation had long since vanished.
A cold wind blew across the academy gates.
Outside, Lin Nuo and Tang San stared at each other.
In the end, neither of them acknowledged the other, and they walked into the academy one after the other, heading toward the academic affairs office.