186: Chapter 186 Lin Shiyao

She had no Superpower, no talent, no shortcuts, only sweat, blood, and day-after-day perseverance.

And Song Zhengchu was her idol.

Not because he was the Holy Court's number one swordsman, not because he was a Level 7 Ancient Martial Artist, and not because he was powerful, cold, or handsome.

But because, just like her, he had no Superpower.

Song Zhengchu had also not awakened any Superpower; he relied on a sword, on decades of grueling training, and on his dedication to the way of the sword.

He rose from a nobody, step by step, to the position of the Holy Court's number one swordsman.

How difficult this path was, only those who had walked it would know.

Su Wanqing wanted to walk his path.

That was why she admired him, followed him, and made him her goal and her faith.

Wang Lin looked into her eyes and fell silent for a moment.

Then he handed the sword over.

Su Wanqing extended both hands and took the sword.

From now on, this sword would be the goal and direction of her efforts.

"Five million, remember to transfer the money."

Su Wanqing nodded. "Mm."

Wang Lin turned around and walked toward the gate of the Martial Arts Arena. "Bishop Qin Cang."

"Mm."

"Does this Inspector role require checking in every day?"

"No need to check in. You don't need to come every day either. Come whenever you want, and don't come when you don't."

"What about the salary?"

Bishop Qin Cang was silent for a moment. "Didn't you just earn five million?"

"That was earned on my own merits, not a salary."

Bishop Qin Cang sighed. "Twenty thousand a month."

"Too little."

"Thirty thousand."

"Forty thousand."

"Deal."

Su Wanqing stood in place, hugging the sword, her head lowered.

Huo Yan walked up to her. "Wanqing."

"Mm?"

"If your dad finds out you spent five million on a sword, will he beat you to death?"

Su Wanqing was silent for a moment. "No."

"Why?"

"Because he is also a fan of Song Zhengchu."

Although Wang Lin showed off his skills in the Ancient Martial Arts Department, the news did not reach the Esper Department.

Because the two departments were not on good terms and sometimes even clashed.

The people in the Esper Department looked down on the Ancient Martial Arts Department, saying they were just ordinary people without Superpowers and that a lifetime of training couldn't compare to a Level 3 Esper.

The people in the Ancient Martial Arts Department looked down on the Esper Department, calling them upstarts who awakened by luck, with unstable foundations and lacking mental fortitude, who would sooner or later hit a bottleneck.

The two departments stayed out of each other's way, each attending their own classes and training on their own. Occasionally, if they ran into each other in the common areas of the academy, they would glance at each other and then look away, ignoring one another.

Therefore, Wang Lin's feat of taking on four people and defeating Song Zhengchu in the Ancient Martial Arts Training Hall only circulated within the Ancient Martial Arts Department and the Holy Court.

Over in the Esper Department, almost no one knew.

They only knew Wang Lin as that monster who got in through the back door, broke the record in the physical fitness test, and slept in class.

Some admired him, some were jealous, some were disdainful, and some were curious.

But most people's impression of him remained at the stage of "great at physical fitness tests but unknown in actual combat."

Days passed by like this, one by one.

Wang Lin still attended classes as usual—or to be more accurate, he went to the classroom to sleep as usual.

When he wasn't at the Ancient Martial Arts Training Hall, he would come to the classroom and nap.

He didn't care what the teacher was saying, didn't care what his classmates were saying, and didn't care about other people's gazes.

His life was simple: sleeping, eating, and occasionally going to the Ancient Martial Arts Training Hall to practice with his blade.

Now, Wang Lin was just waiting for next Wednesday to go to the Mist Forest. However, he hadn't decided yet whether to go with the school or with Zeng Aniu.

At noon that day, Wang Lin came to the cafeteria to eat.

The cafeteria was huge, capable of accommodating thousands of people at once.

There were long lines at the food service windows, and the air was filled with the aroma of food and the sound of noisy chatter.

Wang Lin carried his tray and found a corner seat to sit down.

The food on his tray was simple: rice, braised pork, stir-fried vegetables, and a bowl of egg drop soup.

Wang Lin picked up his chopsticks and was just about to eat when his gaze inadvertently swept over to a seat not far away.

A girl was sitting there.

She was wearing a faded school uniform, her hair tied in a low ponytail with a black hair tie, and a few stray hairs hung by her ears.

Her face was very pale—not the kind of fair skin that comes from good skincare, but a pallor born of malnutrition.

Her features were delicate, her eyes cold and aloof; she was quite pretty, but she lacked any color in her face.

Sitting there, she looked like a white flower blooming in a corner—uncompetitive, quiet, but once you saw her, you couldn't look away.

However, she had a somewhat cold and aloof air, looking as if she wouldn't pay anyone any mind.

She seemed indifferent, having neither expectations nor resentment toward this world.

She kept her head down, eating intently, as if everything around her had nothing to do with her.

Wang Lin watched her for a few seconds. She also noticed Wang Lin's gaze, raised her head, and glanced at him.

That glance was quick—so quick that Wang Lin could barely make out her expression.

Wang Lin's gaze fell on her tray: a few white steamed buns and a bowl of clear soup.

No vegetables, no meat. Just buns and soup.

Wang Lin looked at her, and two words suddenly popped into his mind: What a pity!

Such a pretty girl, it was a pity she didn't have a good background.

The paleness on her face wasn't natural; it was malnutrition.

He had seen that kind of paleness in the Mist Forest; it was the kind that only came from long-term hunger, poor sleep, and malnutrition.

After watching for a few moments, Wang Lin stopped looking at her and continued eating.

He wasn't the type to meddle in other people's business.

There were too many pitiful people in the world; he couldn't manage them all.

He came to the Holy City to become stronger, not to play the savior.

Wang Lin had just taken two bites of his meal when footsteps sounded at the cafeteria entrance.

"Lin Shiyao."

A voice rang out, carrying a condescending tone.

Wang Lin looked up and saw a few people standing in front of the girl's table.

They were wearing sophomore uniforms, and the leader was a tall boy with a look of repulsive superiority in his eyes.

Behind him followed three or four others, all grinning, looking at the girl as if they were watching a monkey show.

"Lin Shiyao," the boy repeated her name. "You don't need to go to work at the milk tea shop tonight. Brother Shen has already spoken to the owner of that milk tea shop, and they don't want you anymore."

The cafeteria went quiet for a moment.

Some people turned to look, some kept their heads down and pretended not to hear, and some whispered among themselves.

But no one stood up. Because that boy was Shen Haochen, a sophomore and a member of a branch of the Shen Family.

The Shen Family was a prominent family in the Holy City; no one in the academy dared to provoke a young master from a branch family, but Shen Haochen had someone behind him: his older brother, Shen Junlin.

Shen Junlin, the eldest legitimate son of the Shen Family's main line, a sophomore, in the same year as Shen Haochen.

He was not only the future heir of the Shen Family but also possessed immense personal strength—a Level 5 Esper who was rumored to have already touched the threshold of Level 6.

He was handsome, capable, and came from a distinguished family; he was the object of admiration for countless girls in the academy.