Choice: Plant Academy (Second Update)

As he left Spirit Hall, the setting sun hung low over the city, gilding the long streets.

Lin Mo held a letter of recommendation bearing the scent of ink and Spirit Hall's hidden crest.

According to the deacon, this letter would grant him exemption from entrance exams at most advanced Soul Master Academies in the Heaven Dou Empire.

That meant he had a choice.

Lin Mo strolled down the long street, passed through the bustling market, avoided the passing Soul Masters and pedestrians, and finally returned to the inn to rest.

Once his surroundings had quieted down, he began sorting through his current options.

—Which academy should he choose?

When Deacon Su Ming handed him the letter, he had given Lin Mo three suggestions.

Suotuo Soul Master Academy, Plant Academy, and—Thunder Academy.

The last academy was renowned far and wide. It was practically a sacred land dreamed of by lightning-type Soul Masters, and also a place this recommendation letter could not truly guarantee entry into. He might still be rejected.

Lin Mo opened his eyes, a faint light flickering within them.

The first academy he ruled out was Suotuo Soul Master Academy.

The academy was located in a prosperous major town, close to the Great Soul Arena.

Its faculty was decent and its resources relatively abundant. Across the entire Heaven Dou Empire, it could be considered a notable advanced Soul Master Academy.

Countless Soul Masters tried everything they could to squeeze in, all for the sake of a promising future.

Lin Mo dismissed it immediately, without a moment's hesitation.

There was only one reason—Suotuo City was too close to the center of the plot's vortex.

According to the original story, Tang San, Xiao Wu, Dai Mubai, and the others would soon gather in Suotuo City, earn money at the Great Soul Arena, and begin forming the Shrek Seven Devils.

At its core, Suotuo City would become entangled with Tang San and the others.

He had already become enemies with Yu Xiaogang and Tang San.

There was no need for him to stay cooped up in such a place. It was far too limiting.

Today, he had thoroughly humiliated Yu Xiaogang at Spirit Hall. A narrow-minded man like Yu Xiaogang would surely seek revenge by any means possible.

What Lin Mo needed most right now was to develop in peace, not spend every day guarding against petty people.

Thunder Academy, one of the four great academies of Elemental City.

Of the three, it had the greatest reputation, the strongest momentum, and the most admirers.

The academy primarily accepted lightning-attribute martial souls, with most students belonging to the assault type. Its atmosphere was fierce and aggressive, and competition was exceptionally intense.

What drove people the most mad was this—the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan stood behind the academy.

One of the Upper Three Sects, the number one beast martial soul family in the world, and a top lightning-attribute Soul Master clan.

Even Spirit Hall's recommendation letter could only serve as a recommendation. It could not guarantee success.

Entering Thunder Academy meant stepping one foot into the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan's sphere of influence.

The Thunder Technique Simulation Training Ground, soul beast intelligence, cultivation resources, guidance from mentors, and even opportunities to join a branch of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan in the future...

To any lightning-attribute Soul Master, these were opportunities to rise to the heavens in a single step.

If it were any other lightning-type Soul Master, they would probably rush straight to Thunder Academy without a second thought.

Even if the recommendation letter proved useless, they would still try their hardest.

But Lin Mo was different.

More than anyone else, he understood his martial soul and foundation.

The Thunder Hell Vine was the ultimate fusion of plant and lightning attributes.

It Devoured lightning and tempered his body with it.

Thunder Academy's instructors focused on teaching students how to control lightning, unleash lightning, and use lightning for powerful attacks.

What Lin Mo truly wielded was the Thunder Hell Vine, not lightning in the true sense.

More fatal still—Thunder Academy's surveillance was everywhere.

Taking Spirit Hall's recommendation letter to such a place was one matter whether they accepted him or not, but they would never simply leave him alone.

Every genius student's growth was secretly recorded, observed, and evaluated.

With Lin Mo's current strength, he had no ability whatsoever to resist the scrutiny of a force at that level.

The secrets of his martial soul, the system's existence, Weather Manipulation, the Blood Curse Blade...

The exposure of any one of those trump cards could bring about his death.

If he was not recruited, he would be controlled.

If he was not controlled, he would be eliminated.

Besides that, the internal competition at Thunder Academy was brutal. Cliques formed everywhere, and the strong bullied the weak without end.

The strong were admired, while the weak were Stomped beneath others' feet.

He was alone, without background or support. If he entered through Spirit Hall's recommendation letter, he might become a target, viewed as an outsider or even a spy. He would be destined for exclusion and hostility.

In such an environment, it would be nearly impossible for Lin Mo to develop quietly, cultivate by drawing in lightning, and conceal his strength.

Every cultivation session, every move he made, every abnormal fluctuation in his Soul Power would be seen, recorded, and reported to the academy's higher-ups.

That was not cultivation. That was prison!

He did not want to live under someone else's surveillance and control.

Thunder Academy looked like a bright road, but in truth, every step was covered in thorns and hardship.

He did not wish to take that path.

After ruling out Thunder Academy, only one final choice remained before him.

Plant Academy was a step below Thunder Academy, but far better than Suotuo Soul Master Academy.

It was a second-tier advanced academy in the Heaven Dou Empire.

It could reach the finals of the Advanced Soul Master Tournament, but it had little competitive strength there.

Plant Academy was inconspicuous—the most low-key and gentle of them all.

The academy only accepted Soul Masters with plant-type martial souls. It focused primarily on the control type, while also covering healing, poisons, and plant cultivation.

Its academic atmosphere was calm and reserved. There was little conflict, little grandstanding, and it rarely took part in the power struggles across the continent. No top sect stood behind it.

Most importantly—its management was relatively loose, allowing greater freedom.

The academy backed onto a vast forest of vegetation, rich in the essence of plants and trees. The environment was quiet, suited for peaceful cultivation, and convenient for him to disappear into the academy's hidden forest regions, manipulate the Weather, draw down lightning, and cultivate in secret.

This was almost the most suitable cultivation ground for him at present.

Lin Mo closed his eyes, and the judgment in his heart grew increasingly clear.

There were several advantages to choosing Plant Academy.

First, his martial soul would fit perfectly, leaving no flaws in his disguise.

The Thunder Hell Vine was still, in essence, a plant-type martial soul.

At Plant Academy, he could completely disguise it as an ordinary vine martial soul with a weak lightning attribute—Thunder-Clap Grass!

Second, no one understood lightning, and no one would watch him.

The students and instructors of Plant Academy specialized in plants, control, poisons, and healing. Most of their understanding of lightning attributes remained superficial.

They would understand vine bindings and recognize the strength of Soul Power, but they would never understand his strange methods of Devouring lightning and converting it into Soul Power.

Even if a trace of violet-gold lightning leaked from him during cultivation, they would only assume it was the weak lightning attribute inherent to his martial soul.

Third, he would stay away from the main plot and avoid trouble.

Plant Academy had very little presence in the original story. It only made a brief appearance during the Continental Tournament, never took the initiative to provoke others, and would not be drawn into the vortex between Shrek, Spirit Hall, and the Upper Three Sects.

Here, he could completely avoid Yu Xiaogang, avoid Tang San, and avoid all the people and matters he did not wish to encounter.

Fourth, the resources would be sufficient. He did not seek luxury, only stability.

He did not need the full support of a top sect, the treatment of being surrounded by admirers, or anyone else planning his path as a Soul Master.

He had the system, a top-tier martial soul, and innate full Soul Power.

All he needed was a safe, quiet, relaxed environment where he could steadily develop in silence.

Plant Academy happened to offer all of that.

Having compared them to this point, there was no longer any need to hesitate.

No matter how famous Thunder Academy was, how abundant its resources were, or how bright its future appeared, it was not suitable for him.

Plant Academy was remote, low-key, inconspicuous, and drew little attention, yet it was precisely the foundation he needed most right now.

Hide his edge among the plants, conceal his lightning in silence, develop quietly, and unleash his strength only after long preparation.

"I'll choose Plant Academy."

The last trace of uncertainty in Lin Mo's eyes vanished completely.