49: Chapter 49 Becoming Lin Mo's Apprentice

Let's go, I'll take you to see Mentor Lin Mo right now.

Director Qian raised his hand to straighten his collar, his tone carrying a touch of deliberate ease. "The school has already been notified. As long as you want to become an apprentice, the mentor will accept you unconditionally. Set your mind at ease; there's no need to feel any pressure."

Director Qian added in a low voice as they walked, "Mentor Lin's personality is a bit reclusive, but he has never put on airs with Juniors who genuinely want to learn. Just act natural later."

While talking, they arrived at the laboratory door. The frosted glass door was gently vibrating with the airflow inside, and the flickering firelight could be vaguely seen within.

Director Qian knocked on the door, and only after a muffled "Come in" came from inside did he push the door open and bring Zhang Wen in.

"Mentor Lin, are you busy?" Director Qian wore a perfectly measured smile, his tone carrying a hint of respect for a scholar. "This is Zhang Wen, who I messaged you about earlier. He has come specifically to ask to become your apprentice."

Zhang Wen took a step forward following Director Qian's cue, his gaze sweeping quickly across the laboratory—floating flames flickered above the workbench, and on the metal shelf nearby sat a dozen labeled glass jars, inside which floated particles with swirling halos of various colors.

He steadied himself, bowed slightly to pay his respects, and said in a clear voice, "Junior Zhang Wen. I have long heard of Mentor Lin's attainments in the field of microscopic elements. I have come here today specifically to earnestly request that you accept me as your apprentice."

In the moment he lowered his eyes, a subtle calculation flickered through Zhang Wen's mind.

Choosing Lin Mo was certainly because he was unique in his research on element Fusion, but more importantly, this mentor was obsessed with experiments and ignored worldly affairs. This way, he could learn real things while having plenty of time to attend to his own matters; it was truly the best of both worlds.

The floating flames dimmed slightly at some point, and Lin Mo slowly turned around. His white lab coat was stained with a few scorch marks. The gaze behind his lenses landed on Zhang Wen's face, carrying scrutiny, yet it was as if he were looking at something else through him.

"I see." Lin Mo's gaze shifted away from the floating flames, his voice as flat as the constant temperature in the laboratory. "Director Qian, you may return first. I have a few words to say to him."

The smile on Director Qian's face stiffened for a moment. He seemed to want to add a few more words of advice, but as a mere director at the Penetration Realm, and facing those emotionless eyes of Lin Mo, he ultimately just nodded sheepishly. "Then you two talk. Zhang Wen, listen well to Mentor Lin." Having said that, he closed the door quietly, and his footsteps in the corridor quickly faded away.

As soon as the door closed, an invisible pressure surged toward Zhang Wen like a tide. The pressure was not brute force, but carried the aura unique to a Domain-level expert, as if the air had solidified, pressing down on his chest and making it feel stifled.

Zhang Wen's heart jolted, and he subconsciously channeled the Nine Heavens Tribulation Thunder within his body. A pale purple Lightning Radiance flashed on his skin, attempting to push back against this pressure, but the pressure was like a living thing, closing in step by step, crushing the arcs of lightning the moment they appeared.

He gritted his teeth and activated his Indestructible Thunder Body. His bones emitted faint, crisp sounds, yet his body continued to sink slowly, his knees almost touching the ground.

"Am I going to fall here?" Sweat beaded on Zhang Wen's forehead, when suddenly a flash of inspiration struck his mind—"That's it!"

In a moment of quick thinking, he began to circulate the Incomplete Manual of the Jingzhe Thunder Scripture he had always kept hidden.

Obscure scriptures circulated within him, and a faint yet exceptionally resilient aura quietly spread out. Miraculously, that persistent pressure seemed to have encountered a nemesis and instantly receded by more than half.

Zhang Wen straightened his back abruptly. Although there was still a sense of oppression, he was now able to stand steadily.

He clicked his tongue secretly: This Incomplete Manual actually has such power; if it were the complete version...

"Oh?" Lin Mo's originally lowered eyes lifted slightly, and the gaze behind his lenses finally carried a touch of genuine surprise. The wisp of sparks about to be flicked from his fingertips paused in mid-air. "A bit interesting."

Lin Mo moved his fingertips slightly, and the pressure that made one breathless suddenly dissipated, as if it had never existed. He withdrew the hand he had reached into the air, the electric sparks at his fingertips extinguished silently, and the Spiritual Qi circulating around his body receded into his body like a receding tide.

Zhang Wen stumbled back half a step, leaning against the nearby workbench, panting heavily, his chest heaving violently.

The air became light again, carrying the unique scent of the laboratory, a mixture of ozone and metal. He greedily took a few breaths, feeling that the word "alive" had never felt so real.

"Eighteen years old, Forming Realm Peak." Lin Mo's gaze landed on him, and his tone finally had some warmth. "Your Foundation is solid, without a shred of instability. Your talent is indeed quite good."

He turned and walked to the side of the workbench, tapping his fingertips lightly against the floating flames. The flame instantly turned into translucent water ripples, only to restore itself into a dancing flame core the next second.

"Let me introduce myself. Lin Mo, a mentor at the Elemental Academy. My cultivation level shall remain unmentioned for now." He paused, the light and shadow of water and fire intertwining and circulating at his fingertips. "My talent is the SS-rank Silent Sea Flame—the coexistence of water and fire."

Zhang Wen was secretly shocked—such a powerful expert was actually willing to lower himself to be a mentor at an academy? He steadied himself and cupped his hands, saying, "Junior Zhang Wen, my talent is the SSS-rank Nine Heavens Tribulation Thunder, and my current cultivation is at the Forming Realm Peak."

The water and fire light and shadow at Lin Mo's fingertips swayed gently, and he looked up at him. "Your talent is indeed rare. But I must say the ugly truth first: I have always focused on the microscopic manipulation and Fusion of elements, and I'm afraid I cannot give you much guidance on cultivation progress." He curled his lips into a faint arc. "Do you really want to become my apprentice? Come to think of it, if you are willing to stay, it would actually be me who gains."

"This Junior has made up his mind." Zhang Wen puffed out his chest, his tone firm. "Being able to follow Mentor Lin to delve into the Dao of elements is this Junior's good fortune."

"Good." Lin Mo nodded, turned around, and took out a palm-sized glass bottle from the metal cabinet under the workbench. The bottle body shimmered with a faint moonlight white, and it contained half a bottle of silver-blue liquid. Upon closer inspection, countless tiny specks of light were slowly floating in the liquid, as if a starry sky had been sealed inside.

"This bottle of taiyi soul nurturing dew is a welcoming gift." He handed over the bottle, the temperature of his fingertips transmitting through the glass. "Remember, you must consume it at the hour of midnight on the night of the full moon."

The moment the bottle stopper was opened, a clear, cool fragrance quietly spread. Zhang Wen felt a slight itch between his brows, and his Sea of Consciousness felt a sense of comfort as if it were being moisturized by warm water.

"This medicine can directly nourish the Divine Soul. For those who manipulate elements, the strength of Soul Power is often more critical than cultivation level." Lin Mo's voice sounded from the side. "During the full moon, the yin energy between heaven and earth is at its strongest, which resonates with the Taiyin essence in the medicinal liquid, and the potency can be tripled."

Zhang Wen took the glass bottle with both hands. It felt slightly cool to the touch, and the weight of the bottle was far more than what half a bottle of liquid should weigh. His pupils constricted—taiyi soul nurturing dew!

He had seen records of this item in ancient texts, stating that it was refined by mixing thousand-year ice marrow with moon Soul grass. A single drop could clear a Cultivator's Divine Soul, and the value of the entire bottle was likely in the hundreds of millions; furthermore, even with money, it might not be purchasable.

"Mentor Lin, this is too precious..." He subconsciously wanted to decline, but his fingertips had already felt the immense energy contained in the liquid within the bottle.

Lin Mo waved his hand and turned back to look at the floating flames. "It's just gathering dust here; it's perfect for someone who can use it."

Zhang Wen gripped the glass bottle tightly, suddenly feeling that the pressure he had endured just now was worth it. Having a master who could teach real things and was so generous seemed... really quite nice (๑•̀ㅂ•́)و✧. He looked down at the starlight swirling in the bottle, and the corners of his lips couldn't help but rise slightly.