Enrolling

The sun was warm and the breeze gentle.

Lin Qingzhu was practicing her sword in the courtyard as usual.

She had started cultivating at five, entered the hall at ten, formed her golden core at thirteen, and now at fifteen, she was hailed as the second-greatest genius in Qinglan City, second only to Li Yue.

Some even hoped she might surpass Li Yue's record of reaching Core Formation Realm Great Completion at twenty, becoming a true favored daughter of heaven.

The sword technique Lin Qingzhu was executing was the fifth form of the Li Family Sword Style—Treading Snow Without a Trace. Her pale yellow figure flitted as lightly as a fledgling swallow, the azure longsword spinning in her jade-like hand, blooming into a cascade of sword flowers.

Her delicate feet lightly touched the ground, her supple body intertwining with the azure sword shadows in the air, painting a breathtaking tableau.

Just then, the noise from outside the gate interrupted Lin Qingzhu's training.

"What's going on? Why is everyone running toward the Training Ground?"

Seeing clan disciples rushing past the courtyard gate one after another, Lin Qingzhu grew curious. This kind of commotion usually only happened when the clan head gave a sword lecture.

"Did you hear? The Second Young Master and Li Bo are fighting."

"Really? The Second Young Master has never cultivated—he's just going to get beaten up, isn't he?"

The murmurs exploded in Lin Qingzhu's ears like thunderclaps.

"How could this be? How could Brother Mu be fighting someone?"

For the past two days, Li Mu had been tirelessly practicing the Three Basic Sword Techniques at the Training Ground, pushing himself to the brink of sleeplessness. When she had visited him earlier, she had noticed his nerves stretched to the breaking point.

Lin Qingzhu knew better than anyone how difficult it was to reach Perfection in these three basic sword techniques. Without grasping the key insight, forcing the practice could even damage one's foundation, affecting the entire path of immortal cultivation ahead.

It seemed that to fulfill Li Yue's conditions, her Brother Mu had staked everything.

"Brother Mu, you absolutely must not come to harm."

As she ran toward the Training Ground with the crowd, Lin Qingzhu's eyes reddened in that instant.

"Eh, Brother Yue, why are you here? Did you come from the Training Ground? I heard Brother Mu got into a fight—do you know what happened?"

A red-clad figure walked toward her through the crowd—it was Li Yue. Lin Qingzhu quickly grabbed his arm to ask about the situation at the Training Ground.

Li Yue's expression was complicated. He was silent for a moment, then patted Lin Qingzhu's shoulder without a word, turning against the flow of people and walking away.

"Girl, tell that kid he wins this time. I won't stop him from joining Qinglan Academy anymore."

Just as Lin Qingzhu was puzzled, Li Yue's voice finally drifted back. A single, indifferent sentence, yet it made the girl's heart burst into bloom.

Lin Qingzhu trotted all the way to the Training Ground, only to find it already empty. She quickly turned back and headed for Li Mu's courtyard.

Her heart full of joy, she didn't even greet Chunxiang, who was dozing by the door, and pushed the door open directly.

And so, the awkward scene unfolded.

A figure gleaming with white light, completely exposed, appeared before Lin Qingzhu's eyes—it was Li Mu, already stripped bare and about to bathe.

"Ahhhh!" A shriek rang through the entire Li Mansion, startling even the birds in the trees into flight.

Lin Qingzhu covered her face and fled out the door, leaving a stunned Li Mu standing naked in the wind, utterly bewildered.

A long while later, fully dressed and having steeled his nerves, Li Mu finally opened the door. He first shot a glare at Chunxiang, who was barely suppressing her laughter, then walked into the courtyard. Seeing Lin Qingzhu still puffed up with anger yet flushed red, he gave an awkward smile.

"Zhu'er, why didn't you knock? I had just finished sparring and was covered in sweat, so I wanted to wash up. I didn't expect..."

Li Mu didn't dare meet the girl's eyes, and even his explanation grew quieter and quieter.

"Forget it. It's not like we haven't seen each other as kids, hmph."

Watching the boy who wished he could crawl into a crack in the ground, Lin Qingzhu's anger mostly faded. After all, she was the one who hadn't knocked, so she couldn't really blame Li Mu.

"Brother Mu, I ran into Brother Yue on the way here. He must have seen your performance at the Training Ground—he's agreed to let you join Qinglan Academy."

Lin Qingzhu calmed her emotions and recounted her encounter with Li Yue.

"That's great! I'll go report to the academy tomorrow."

Li Mu was very satisfied with what he had achieved over the past three days, and even more delighted to have finally gained preliminary recognition from his gifted elder brother.

"Don't rush. Three days from now is this year's Opening Ceremony at Qinglan Academy. All new students will register together then. I'll speak with Teacher Mu in advance, and you can go find her when the time comes."

The Teacher Mu that Lin Qingzhu always mentioned, whose given name was Bai, had once been a renowned expert in the Cangyun Empire. But after an accident caused her cultivation to drop, she had settled in Qinglan City over the past decade and was later invited by Li Yubai to teach at the academy.

She had also been the teacher of Li Yue and Lin Qingzhu during their academy days, offering them a great deal of guidance, which was why Lin Qingzhu was especially close to her.

"Alright, then I'll leave it to Senior Lin to arrange."

Li Mu bowed respectfully to Lin Qingzhu. Once enrolled, he really would become the junior of the girl before him.

"Brother Mu, you're teasing Zhu'er again. I'm ignoring you."

Lin Qingzhu couldn't stand seeing Li Mu like this. A blush crept across her face. After a few more reminders, she left Li Mu's courtyard.

Li Mu stood in the courtyard as the evening glow spilled down. Watching the girl's retreating figure, the red rays of sunset filtered through the dappled leaves and fell upon the boy's face, imprinting the loneliness and stubbornness of two lifetimes of souls.

"In this life, I don't think I'll be alone anymore."

Three days later, Qinglan Academy.

The ancient gate of the academy was packed with people. As one of the two largest cultivation academies in the city, Qinglan Academy had always adhered to the principle of admitting students regardless of background, giving many children from commoner families the chance to change their fate through cultivation.

The academy was divided into three classes. The Profound Tier Class was for students of mediocre talent who were willing to work hard. The Earth Tier Class mostly enrolled children from wealthy families who already had some cultivation foundation and came to systematically learn basic knowledge. Finally, the Heaven Tier Class housed the academy's top talents—students who mostly had the potential to successfully enter the Core Formation Realm and would receive the academy's dedicated nurturing.

Li Yue and Lin Qingzhu had graduated from the Heaven Tier Class back then, officially stepping onto the path of immortal cultivation.

Class assignments were not fixed; in the academy's history, there had been many instances where students from the Profound Tier Class, relying on their own hard work and dedication, climbed all the way to the Heaven Tier Class and ultimately crossed into the Core Formation Realm.

Li Mu and Lin Qingzhu were now standing at the academy's entrance, waiting for the gates to open so they could head straight to the teaching building to handle the formalities with Teacher Mu Bai.

"Brother Mu, do you really have to start from the Profound Tier Class? You've already practiced the basic swordsmanship up to the third stance. If I talk to Teacher Mu, you could easily enter the Heaven Tier Class. Then the academy's teaching resources and support would all be tilted in your favor."

Lin Qingzhu had originally planned to arrange for Li Mu to study in the Heaven Tier Class, but Li Mu had refused. He wanted to start from the very beginning, to systematically learn the fundamentals of immortal cultivation, because only by laying a solid foundation could one build a taller tower—a principle Li Mu had understood in his previous life.

"Wow, that's Senior Sister Lin Qingzhu! She's so beautiful, no wonder she's known as the most stunning beauty in Qinglan Academy's history."

"Really, it's Senior Qingzhu. If I had a senior like that, I'd definitely study better."

As an outstanding graduate of Qinglan Academy, Lin Qingzhu ranked among the top in both strength and appearance. Her appearance here naturally drew everyone's attention.

"Hey, isn't that the Li family's rogue Second Young Master standing next to the senior?"

"That's right, that's the number one scoundrel of Qinglan City. I heard he once spent an entire month drinking at the Twin Phoenix Tower without leaving."

"That rogue must be coveting the senior's beauty, hanging around to suck up to her. I hope someone teaches him a lesson."

Compared to Lin Qingzhu's widespread fame, Li Mu's reputation was clearly a bit hard to stomach.

"Zhu'er, they're all just blatant jealousy, malicious slander."

Li Mu quickly and righteously defended himself to the girl beside him, who was covering her mouth with a stifled laugh, but that clearly didn't stop the other students from discussing him even more heatedly.

"Hey there, buddy, could you please step away from Senior Qingzhu?"

A figure pushed through the crowd and stood before Li Mu. This man was seven feet tall, his muscular physique radiating a strong aura of masculinity under the sunlight.

"That's Hao Meng. This Li family second young master is done for. Hao Meng is famously infatuated with Senior Lin Qingzhu; he pursued her crazily back in the academy. But he's already an enrolled student—why is he here?"

Everyone's gaze focused on Li Mu and Hao Meng. Most were watching with the mindset of enjoying a good show. Li Mu had a bad reputation in Qinglan City, and seeing him chatting and laughing with everyone's goddess naturally rubbed many people the wrong way. But since they couldn't speak up due to their status, having someone else step forward was the best outcome.

"Go, big brother! Win back your woman!" a little girl's shout rang out.

A red-haired girl was waving her arms in the crowd—it was Hao Meng's younger sister, Hao Xiaomeng.

"Ahem, anyway, you have to stay away from Senior Qingzhu today, or don't blame me for being rude."

Hao Meng had originally come today to pick up his sister for enrollment. Spotting his beloved senior goddess in the crowd, he was shocked to see her laughing and chatting with the infamous Twin Phoenix Tower boss, the Li family's second young master. His blood boiled, and he immediately assumed the Li young master was harassing the senior, so he stepped forward to stop him.

Looking at the big, simple-minded guy in front of him, Li Mu found it both annoying and amusing. He was about to say a few polite words to send Hao Meng on his way.

Then, a long-unheard electronic chime sounded in his mind.

[Simulation system activated. Task system initializing. Initialization complete. Please choose whether to accept the task.]

In his mind, a girl in a green dress appeared, holding out a piece of parchment with the familiar "Yes" and "No" written on it.

"Isn't this Seliya from the Edgar Continent?"

Already accustomed to it, Li Mu immediately recognized the girl as an NPC from some ancient side-scrolling game.

[Beginner task triggered: Defeat Hao Meng. Task reward: Unlock warehouse function, obtain Level 1 warehouse, shabby iron vault.]

Instantly, the way Li Mu looked at Hao Meng changed, as if he were eyeing prey waiting to be slaughtered. A mysterious smile curled at the corner of his mouth.

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