Lin Mu spotted the young man and woman in Shengjing Academy uniforms on the platform.
He walked straight over to them.
Before he could get close,
the sharp-eyed, capable-looking upperclassman gave him a scrutinizing once-over.
When he saw Lin Mu's level, LV.15, a flicker of surprise crossed his eyes.
Then it turned into undisguised contempt.
"Hey, you're already level fifteen and only now coming to enroll at Shengjing Academy?"
"Looks like your elders at home have taken you through plenty of dungeons, huh?"
Zhao Lei's voice wasn't loud, but his smug sense of superiority and mockery
grated like fingernails scraping across glass.
The pretty upperclasswoman beside him, Li Ling, heard him.
She gave Zhao Lei's sleeve a gentle tug, signaling him not to go too far.
She looked at Lin Mu with curiosity and admiration.
"Wow! You're amazing, junior! You're already level fifteen before you've even officially enrolled!"
Li Ling's voice was clear and sweet,
like a cool spring that washed away the unpleasantness Zhao Lei had brought with him.
Zhao Lei, however, scoffed dismissively.
"Amazing? Li Ling, you're still too naive."
"Levels gained by piling on resources like that mean an unstable foundation and questionable combat ability."
"Once he's at the academy, he'll show his true colors in the very first practical exam."
Lin Mu remained calm throughout, as though Zhao Lei's sneers were nothing more than the irritating buzzing of a fly by his ear.
He couldn't even be bothered to look at Zhao Lei.
Instead, he handed Li Ling the special admission documents Professor Mu had given him.
"Hello. I'm Lin Mu, a new student here to enroll."
Being ignored by someone he considered "trash" made Zhao Lei's expression darken in an instant.
It felt as if he'd put all his strength into a punch, only for it to land on cotton. The frustration was indescribable.
"Hello, junior. I'm Li Ling, and he's Zhao Lei. Professor Mu sent us to pick you up."
Li Ling smiled sweetly and accepted the documents.
As she opened them, she casually said,
"Don't mind him, junior. Zhao Lei's just..."
Her voice abruptly stopped!
Her beautiful almond eyes widened as she saw the lines of notes on the document!
"Ah!"
Li Ling cried out, her hand trembling.
She nearly dropped the document!
Zhao Lei was just about to make a few more sarcastic remarks to save face after being ignored.
But Li Ling's shriek startled him.
"What are you making such a fuss about? He's just a special admit..."
He hadn't finished speaking
when Li Ling read aloud the words on the document in a trembling, dreamlike voice, filled with utter shock and disbelief.
"Name... Name: Lin Mu."
"Note one: The sole clear-record holder of the SSS-Rank Trial Dungeon at West Forest City No. 2 Vocational Academy!"
"Note two: The clear-record holder of the Survival Challenge mode dungeon, [Wailing Cavern], with an SS-Rank clear!"
Each word struck Zhao Lei's heart like an invisible hammer!
The mockery and contempt on his face froze instantly.
In their place came shock and a flushed face!
His reasonably handsome face turned a liverish purple before their very eyes!
SSS-Rank?!
SS-Rank?!
And in the [Wailing Cavern], with its freakishly high death rate?!
Zhao Lei felt as though an invisible hand had clamped around his throat.
Even breathing became difficult.
All his earlier sneering about "connections," "resources," and "trust-fund kids"
looked so feeble and laughable in the face of these legendary achievements.
Like the pathetic performance of a clown!
The powerful auras around the platform, which had been discreetly observing them, stirred noticeably.
Clearly, they had heard Li Ling too.
Li Ling had already recovered from her shock.
When she looked at Lin Mu again, all the curiosity had vanished from her beautiful eyes.
Only the reverence of someone looking up at a mountain remained!
How could he be some trust-fund kid relying on connections?
He was clearly an unparalleled prodigy hiding among the new students!
"Lin... Lin Mu, junior! I'm... I'm sorry!"
Li Ling hastily straightened the documents and held them out in both hands.
She returned them to Lin Mu with the utmost respect, so nervous she could barely speak.
"W-we'll take you to complete your enrollment paperwork right away!"
Lin Mu took the documents and gave the starry-eyed Li Ling a polite nod.
"Sorry for the trouble."
With that, he started walking straight ahead.
From beginning to end, he never looked at Zhao Lei again.
That burning indifference hurt more than any resounding slap.
Zhao Lei stood frozen, feeling all the blood in his body rush to his face.
He wanted nothing more than to find a crack in the ground and crawl into it!
He felt as if everyone at the station were staring at him.
As if they were silently mocking him!
Seeing him like that, Li Ling didn't have time to worry about him.
She hurried to catch up with Lin Mu.
Like a well-behaved little sidekick, she enthusiastically introduced him to everything around them.
"Junior, Shengjing Academy is divided into four branches: 'Heaven,' 'Earth,' 'Mystic,' and 'Yellow.' With your outstanding talent, you'll definitely be assigned to the best one, the Heaven Branch!"
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