57: Chapter 57 Special Treatment at the School

"Hello, Zhang Wen? Come to my place immediately, there is an important matter." Instructor Lin Mo's voice came through the receiver, carrying an unquestionable steadiness that made Zhang Wen's heart skip a beat.

"Ah! Yes, Master! I'll be there right away, five minutes! No, three minutes!" Zhang Wen scrambled out of bed, his pajama legs still rolled up to his knees and his hair sticking up in a messy tangle.

He nodded and bowed while holding his phone, while catching a glimpse of the alarm clock on the bedside table out of the corner of his eye—the hour hand was pointing squarely at 10:30 AM.

Oh no, oh no, I overslept!

Hanging up the phone, he grabbed his toothbrush and shoved it into his mouth. As foam began to form at the corner of his lips, he couldn't help but start grumbling in his head: "It's all that damn System's fault! It didn't release them earlier or later, but had to explode with a pile of rewards right at night. There was the Thunder Scripture and those Water-type Cultivation Techniques, making me practice against thin air until the middle of the night. Now I'm so sleepy my eyelids are fighting each other..."

He poked around haphazardly with the toothbrush in his mouth, squinting as he felt his way into the bathroom, shuddering the moment cold water splashed onto his face.

In the mirror, there were faint dark circles under his eyes, his hair looked like a bird's nest swept by a gale, and the T-shirt he changed out of yesterday was still lying crumpled on the floor.

"This is the first time Master has called for me, there must be something important. I can't be late, I have to hurry..." He mumbled indistinctly, grabbing a towel to roughly wipe his face before scrambling into his jacket.

Halfway through zipping up, he recalled the mantra from the 'Thousand Streams Merging Art'—'Water has no constant shape, gathering and dispersing at will.' His lips curled up subconsciously; that Cultivation Technique was said to be able to turn streams, rain, and even water vapor to one's own use, and at its peak, one could freeze water into ice or turn mist into blades.

"What am I thinking! If I dawdle any longer, Master will come over with a blade!" He slapped his own head, grabbed his backpack, swung it over his shoulder, and rushed toward the door in his slippers, only to stop abruptly—he hadn't put on socks yet.

...

"Phew—I'm here!" Zhang Wen leaned against the doorframe to catch his breath, lifted his wrist to check his watch, and his eyebrows arched up involuntarily. "2 minutes and 45 seconds, not bad, not bad. Next time I'll know how much margin for error I can leave ✧٩(ˊωˋ*)و✧"

He raised his hand to tidy his collar which had been ruffled by the wind, tugged at his crumpled cuffs, and lightly knocked on the office door.

"Come in." Lin Mo's voice came through the door, neither high nor low, yet possessing a certain penetrating power.

When Zhang Wen pushed the door open, he deliberately suppressed the joy on his face and put on a well-behaved look: "Master, you were looking for me?" As he spoke, the end of his sentence couldn't help but carry a slightly cautious tremor.

Lin Mo was looking down, but raised his eyes to glance at him upon hearing this, a trace of helpless laughter at the corner of his mouth: "Look at how nervous you are, am I going to eat you?"

"I called you here this time because there's good news."

"Phew—" Zhang Wen had just let out half a breath and was about to grin when Lin Mo suddenly stood up from his chair.

Lin Mo's build wasn't particularly burly, but as he stepped toward him, the aura he had accumulated over many years felt like an invisible wave, instantly making the air feel several degrees heavier.

That breath of Zhang Wen's got stuck in his throat, and he subconsciously straightened his back.

"You've broken through to the Subtle Realm?" Lin Mo stood still in front of him, his gaze falling on his shoulders, his tone carrying a hint of imperceptible surprise—it was a more condensed and restrained aura belonging to those above the Forming Realm.

Only then did Zhang Wen dare to exhale, patting his chest to catch his breath with a chuckle: "Yeah, just made it yesterday."

Hearing this, Lin Mo's lips twitched, and he muttered to himself: This kid talks about a Breakthrough like it's as easy as drinking water? How old is he? Eighteen? Subtle Realm? How do these words even go together? •ᴗ•.

But he kept his face composed and nodded: "Not bad. Being able to rival second-year seniors just as a freshman is good, but remember to guard against arrogance and impatience."

Zhang Wen immediately straightened his back and cupped his hands solemnly: "Don't worry, Master, your Disciple deeply understands the way of 'pretending to be a pig to eat the tiger.' Those who know, know ~(¯▽¯~)" He then raised an eyebrow at Lin Mo.

Lin Mo didn't bother to entertain him, tapping his fingertip on the desk and pushing forward a Storage Ring with flowing dark patterns: "This is the S-grade cultivation resources the school is giving you. It was supposed to be issued at the start of the semester, but a sudden notice yesterday said to give it to you early."

Zhang Wen took the ring and swept it with his spiritual power, immediately sucking in a breath of cold air—it was packed full: things for Body Tempering, for soul training, and even many for nourishing internal organs. Moreover, none of them were of low grade; every single item was a high-tier good that people would fight over on the market.

"Thank you, school!" He suddenly snapped to attention, patting his chest in a guarantee, "Please rest assured, this Disciple will certainly Cultivate diligently and will not fail this grooming!"

"It's enough if you can protect the country and the people in the future." Lin Mo waved his hand and took out an ancient wooden box from a drawer. "And this. Our Dean heard yesterday that you entered the academy and was very happy, so she specifically asked me to pass this on."

Zhang Wen took the wooden box, and as soon as he opened the lid, a clear, cold stream of light made him squint.

When he opened his eyes again, he saw a palm-sized medallion lying quietly in the silk. The surface was carved with complex cloud patterns, and at its center was embedded a glowing white crystal that seemed to breathe.

"This is..."

"A Transmission Medallion personally bestowed by the Dean," Lin Mo explained. "Crush it, and no matter where you are, she can arrive at the first moment. Also, our Dean is a powerhouse of the Transformation Realm."

Zhang Wen's eyes instantly lit up like they held two stars. He cradled the medallion and chuckled happily, his fingers rubbing the cold surface as he began to imagine scenes: "With this thing, who would dare look for trouble with me? Sorry about that—I'll just crush the medallion, and hey, you dare touch me again? Are you touched? Do you dare move?" As he spoke, he mimed a crushing motion, his grin stretching from ear to ear.

Looking at his foolish behavior, Lin Mo pressed his throbbing temples and sighed in his heart: Why did I take in such a joker of a Disciple in the first place... ಥ_ಥ

"Stop grinning like an idiot and come here." He took out another card from the drawer. The edges of the card shimmered with a faint silver glow, and it had an extra ring of dark gold patterns compared to ordinary student cards.

"This is the PLUS version of the student card the school is giving you. It has all the functions of the old card plus some new permissions; research the specifics yourself. The 5,000 points from your previous card have already been transferred. Give me the old card."

Only then did Zhang Wen reluctantly tuck the medallion into his inner pocket and nimbly fish out the old student card to hand over, but his eyes were fixed straight on the new card—just from the texture alone, he knew there were many good things hidden inside.

...

(Green is your collar, deep is my longing. Even if I do not go to you, why would you not follow?)