100: Completed training and graduated

Inside the office, Kirisu Mafuyu spread the two girls' exam papers out on the desk.

"To be able to reach this level in such a short period of time... it truly exceeded my expectations." Her fingertips lightly tapped the scores on the papers that had just barely passed. "While the scores themselves aren't high, after calculating the Deviation Value, they indeed reached the passing line."

This was already quite a significant improvement.

"I have to admit, you've made me see you in a new light." Teacher Kirisu's tone shifted as her cold gaze, sharp as a blade, turned toward Furuhashi Fumino, who was nervously twisting her fingers, and Ogata Rizu, who was still immersed in joy and completely oblivious to the atmosphere. "But what I don't understand is, why is the effect so drastically different when someone else teaches you? Is it that my ability as a teacher is insufficient, or did you... never take my classes seriously at all?"

Furuhashi Fumino shrank back, her voice trembling, "T-Teacher Kirisu, we don't know what happened either... it's just that after being knocked on the head by him a few times, we somehow learned it..."

Hearing this, Kirisu Mafuyu's lips twitched imperceptibly as she turned her gaze toward Lin Luo, who was acting as if it had nothing to do with him. "You laid hands on them? You should be aware that corporal punishment is strictly prohibited."

Lin Luo gave a light cough, his expression composed. "How can that be considered corporal punishment? It's just an occasional knock to get a rusty brain moving. Besides, I've never laid a hand on Ogata-san."

Ogata Rizu immediately nodded in agreement. "Lin-kun specifically organized a study group for us and even invited Shiina-san and Kato-san to help. Everyone was very patient, and the learning atmosphere was great, which is why we could improve so quickly."

Hearing this, Teacher Kirisu's tense expression softened slightly. After glancing at Furuhashi Fumino, she turned to Lin Luo. "I didn't expect you to even manage to invite Mahiru. However... who is Kato-san?"

Lin Luo helplessly massaged his forehead. "Kato Megumi, my seatmate. You forgot again? As the homeroom teacher, you can't even remember the students in your own class?"

"...It is my dereliction of duty." Teacher Kirisu frowned slightly and flipped through the class grade sheet, finding the name 'Kato Megumi' among the top ten—fifth in the class. This was a quite excellent result; logically, she shouldn't have been overlooked.

As a teacher, she felt responsible for every student and never gave up on those with lower grades. It seemed she needed to pay more detailed attention to every student from now on.

Although she thought this at the moment, some indescribable force caused Kato Megumi's presence to quietly fade from her cognition, like a drop of water merging into the ocean.

After successfully passing Teacher Kirisu's assessment, Furuhashi Fumino and Ogata Rizu could hardly hide their excitement. As the group reached the garden outside the school building, Fumino couldn't wait to share the good news with Kato Megumi and Shiina Mahiru, who were already waiting there.

Lin Luo followed unhurriedly behind. Seeing their jubilant expressions, he couldn't help but shake his head. "It's just a passing grade; is there a need to be this excited?"

Ogata Rizu heard him and looked at him seriously. "Mr. Lin Luo, you wouldn't understand. The two of us have always persisted in our dreams, but whether it was the subject teachers or the Academy Director, they all advised us to give up." She pushed up her glasses, her voice soft but firm. "Now, we've finally seen hope. I understand very well how Fumino feels right now."

"Exactly, exactly!" Fumino jogged over to Lin Luo, tilting her face up and pointing at the nearly invisible dark circles under her eyes. "Do you know how many late nights I've pulled for these tutoring sessions? My dark circles were about to drop to the floor!"

Lin Luo gently pushed away her face that had gotten too close and bypassed her to sit on a nearby stone bench. "Since you've made a good start, the rest is up to you. As your 'teacher,' I've spent so many days with you that I haven't even had time for myself. You can graduate from my apprenticeship now..."

As soon as he finished speaking, Furuhashi Fumino and Ogata Rizu immediately put on expressions as if they were being abandoned, their eyes looking at him all watery.

"Mr. Lin Luo, we've only just seen hope, and you're going to leave us?" Furuhashi Fumino tugged at his sleeve, her voice carrying an exaggerated sob. "Right now, my body and soul can no longer leave you!"

"Pfft—" The water Lin Luo had just sipped sprayed right out. "Sometimes I really want to sew that mouth of yours shut."

Fortunately, Kato Megumi stepped in at the right time to smooth things over. She gently patted Fumino's shoulder. "He's just teasing you. Our study group will keep going, right, Mahiru?"

Shiina Mahiru, who was standing to the side, nodded obediently. "Yes, definitely."

Lin Luo looked up, meeting the expectant gazes of the two girls, and responded helplessly, "Fine, fine, I won't leave you behind."

Hearing this, Furuhashi Fumino instantly recovered her energy and beamed with joy. "That's more like it!" She then reached out her hand and held it open in front of Lin Luo.

This action surprised everyone a bit. Lin Luo raised an eyebrow. "What, are you asking for a beating?"

"Of course not!" Fumino pouted. "A reward! Where's the reward we talked about? You promised before that if our grades improved, you'd give us a reward."

Only then did Ogata Rizu remember, and she leaned in as well. "Yes, there indeed was such an agreement."

Lin Luo irritably tapped the exam paper in his hand. "You only got this score, and you have the nerve to ask for a reward?"

"What do you mean!" Furuhashi Fumino immediately protested, circling around Lin Luo like a temperamental kitten. "I've clearly improved so much! A reward, I want a reward..."

She tugged at Lin Luo's sleeve and shook it gently, her voice carrying a hint of acting spoiled. Her shameless behavior was exactly like a child begging for candy.

Lin Luo was amused by her shameless display. "You really are thick-skinned. Let me see what I can find."

As he spoke, his Divine Sense moved slightly, quietly probing into the pendant around his neck. The interior of the pendant was actually a void, with specks of starlight swirling and flashing within—each point of light was a stored object, ranging from ordinary mundane items to rare spiritual materials. Unlike a typical storage Magical Artifact, the inside of this pendant was like a miniature starry sky. However, with his current cultivation, the area he could reach was still very limited.

His Divine Sense gently plucked one of the star points. The next moment, a red, plump apple appeared out of thin air, floating quietly in front of everyone.

"An apple?" Furuhashi Fumino blinked, looking a bit stunned.

Lin Luo nodded, but Furuhashi Fumino pouted and tugged at Ogata Rizu's sleeve, whispering, "Do I look that easy to satisfy?" Hearing this, Ogata Rizu actually nodded her head seriously.

Just as Lin Luo was about to explain, a shadow suddenly darted out of his backpack—it was Fat Wave. Its eyes were shining as it pounced toward the apple, shouting, "It's a Spirit Fruit!"

A large mouth was about to swallow the fruit, but it was slapped away by Lin Luo's backhand before it could touch it. Fat Wave gave a "meow-woo" and rolled like a fur ball to the stone pillar at the corner of the pavilion. As its owner, Kato Megumi looked away as if nothing had happened, acting as though she hadn't seen a thing.

"What is a Spirit Fruit?" she asked softly.

Lin Luo smiled, a faint light flickering at his fingertips as he skillfully sliced the apple into several pieces. "You can understand it as a special fruit consumed by Cultivators. Each of you should only taste one slice; your bodies won't be able to handle more than that."

Shiina Mahiru carefully took the slice of fruit flesh that shimmered with a lustrous glow and asked in a low voice, "This... is very precious, isn't it?"

"Don't overthink it," Lin Luo said in a relaxed tone. In truth, products containing Spiritual Qi were indeed considered scarce resources in the cultivation world, especially for Loose Cultivators who lacked resources. However, to him, these were just snacks with different flavors.

Furuhashi Fumino took a bite with great anticipation, but then she secretly curled her lip—wasn't this just the taste of a normal apple? She couldn't help but steal a resentful glance at Lin Luo.

"Don't be in such a hurry," Lin Luo said, meeting her gaze and speaking helplessly. "Just wait a bit and you'll see. When have I ever lied to you?"

Sure enough, after she slowly and carefully finished that small slice of apple, a gentle warm current suddenly rose from her stomach and slowly flowed to her four limbs and hundred bones. The faint pain in her lower abdomen from her period, as well as the grogginess from staying up late, quietly dissipated under the nourishment of this warm current. Her body felt as if a heavy burden had been lifted, becoming exceptionally light and comfortable.

"Don't be too moved, now," Lin Luo said, seeing her eyes instantly light up, and he couldn't help but chuckle and tease her.

Unexpectedly, Furuhashi Fumino pouted and poked the remaining apple core on the table with her finger. "Everyone got one; how can this be considered a reward specifically for me?"

"Oh?" Lin Luo raised an eyebrow. "Does that mean you have absolutely no sense of collective honor?"

"I do not!" Furuhashi Fumino immediately reacted like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, her whole body slumping softly onto the stone table.

"Meow~" Fat Wave squeezed over with its round cat face, its tail pleasingly coiling around Lin Luo's trouser leg. "Great Boss, what about little old me?"

Lin Luo looked down and glanced at it, saying heartlessly, "Nothing."

"Great Boss, you can't be like this!" Fat Wave immediately put on a look as if it were about to burst into tears, its two front paws scratching at the surface of his shoes. "Even if I have no merit, I've at least worked hard! Not only have I lost my freedom, but I even risked my life to protect Megumi before!"

Lin Luo rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "That was your duty..."

Fat Wave's beady eyes instantly lit up with the light of hope.

"But your strength is indeed a bit embarrassing," Lin Luo's tone shifted as his fingertips lightly tapped the stone table. "Even a measly Evil Ghost almost killed you. You do need to supplement yourself, it's just..."

"Don't worry, Great Boss!" Fat Wave immediately puffed out its chest and bowed repeatedly like a lapdog. "From now on, I will absolutely protect my Master and never leave her side!"

Kato Megumi heard this and interjected softly, "Don't waste it."

"Master, no—" Fat Wave wailed and scurried into her arms, its furry head rubbing against her vigorously. "Fat Wave's heart is bitter..."

Lin Luo was amused by its appearance. "Forget it, I'll be more at ease if Fat Wave becomes stronger. It's mainly because Megumi doesn't live at my place; otherwise, there wouldn't be a need for all this trouble."

Kato Megumi's cheeks suddenly flushed with two streaks of red. She looked down and pretended to straighten the corner of her clothes, deliberately avoiding the ambiguous gazes from the people around her. Lin Luo casually tossed out an earth-yellow Spirit Fruit that looked like a small tomato. Fat Wave immediately leaped into the air and swallowed it in one gulp, gulping it down before it even had time to taste it.

Before long, Fat Wave began to feel drowsy and obediently crawled back into the backpack to curl into a ball. Kato Megumi gently zipped up the backpack and looked up to ask, "What's wrong with it?"

"It's hibernating to digest the spiritual power. Let it sleep well," Lin Luo explained.