The Academy Couldn't Protect Him, I'm Sorry

Plant Academy, upper management reception hall.

Lin Mo sat on a warm-toned leather sofa.

Instructor Shen Lin brought him a cup of hot water to calm his nerves.

The academy was still investigating, but the general results had already emerged.

Judging by Lin Mo's demeanor, Shen Lin felt that he had not been frightened by the sudden assassination attempt.

Based on the traces found during the investigation of the scene,

the assassins had first entered Lin Mo's residence under cover of darkness, only to find it empty. After the academy patrol guards detected suspicious activity, they swiftly changed locations.

They ran into Lin Mo head-on deep within Plant Academy's forest, triggering this assassination crisis.

Lin Mo had counter-killed one of their Four-Ring Soul Ancestors with a single fatal strike from behind.

In the end, Lin Mo held on until reinforcements arrived.

The Martial Soul Hall Shadow Guards appeared and subdued the assassins first.

Everything about this seemed deeply strange.

At present, there were several key doubts:

First, Lin Mo normally stayed cooped up in his residence. Why had he happened to be wandering outside so late tonight?

Second, after encountering the assassins head-on while wandering through the forest, how had he protected himself and even managed a counter-kill?

Third, the Martial Soul Hall Shadow Guards had arrived far too quickly. They had reached the scene before the academy's own teachers and students, as though they had known Lin Mo's location all along.

These doubts inevitably pointed toward one conclusion:

This had been a trap laid out in advance, specifically waiting for those people to take the bait.

In short, fishing.

Lin Mo and Spirit Hall had cooperated far too perfectly.

This further provided solid "evidence" for his identity as a "Spirit Hall infiltrator."

Looking at Lin Mo, Shen Lin did not even know where to begin questioning him.

Some of the implications behind those deductions touched upon dangerous territory.

Yet the academy's upper management still hoped he could get a "truth" out of him.

At the very least, a "truth" that sounded plausible and could be made public.

Whether it was real or false did not matter.

"Teacher, ask whatever you want." Lin Mo took the initiative, holding the cup of hot tea in both hands.

Shen Lin's expression became rather complicated at that.

"Why... were you deep in the forest so late at night?"

"Tonight's thunderstorm was well suited to my cultivation, so I went there," Lin Mo explained frankly.

"I never expected those assassins to be so crafty. They actually tried a night raid?"

"If I'd really been in my dormitory at the time, they might have pinned me down and killed me on the spot," Lin Mo said.

Of course, that was only something he said for appearances.

He possessed [Skill], [Skill], and Plant Perception. He could sense danger in advance, and if he could not win, he could still escape.

Inside the academy, as long as he ran out of the dormitory, he could summon reinforcements more quickly.

For him, the forest was a disadvantageous starting point.

Shen Lin nodded upon hearing this.

A Five-Ring Soul King and a Four-Ring Soul Ancestor.

For ordinary Two-Ring Soul Masters, assassins of that caliber would have been an almost certain kill!

But Lin Mo was not ordinary.

"How did you kill that Soul Ancestor? Given the situation at the time, facing such a vastly stronger opponent, avoiding their edge should have been the more appropriate choice. So how did you counter-kill that Four-Ring Soul Ancestor?" Shen Lin asked the question in his heart.

From every aspect of Lin Mo's performance, his true strength far exceeded those of the same rank.

With only one ring of cultivation, he had been able to solo-kill a Thousand-Year Soul Beast.

Now, with two rings, he had counter-killed someone with four.

Moreover, that Soul Ancestor had teammates. It had not been a one-on-one duel at all.

What he had done was nearly impossible!

"It wasn't that I didn't want to avoid them. They were chasing me down to kill me." Lin Mo gave a bitter smile.

"One of them had a Spider Martial Soul and possessed exceptionally strong Perception."

"When I noticed someone in the forest, they had already locked onto me first. Perhaps they were afraid their tracks would be exposed and wanted to kill me to silence me."

"They came for you. Their intention to kill you might not have had anything to do with worrying about their tracks," Shen Lin said.

Lin Mo showed a startled expression.

"There were signs of forced entry near your dormitory. Their target had been you from the very beginning."

"It was only because you were not there at the time that they believed the mission had failed and prepared to retreat. They chose to withdraw through the forest, only to run into you again," Shen Lin said.

He was helping Lin Mo "sort out the truth."

Based on what he knew, he naturally could not draw the conclusion that "Lin Mo had worked with Spirit Hall to fish for them."

"So that's how it was. It seems this calamity was destined for me," Lin Mo said.

"If not for the seniors from Spirit Hall stepping in, I would probably already be dead."

Shen Lin continued listening.

He knew Lin Mo had secrets.

The solo kill could not be laid out in the open.

Investigation records could be falsified.

"The seniors from Spirit Hall arrived in time and restrained those assassins. The second soul skill I had been building up happened to strike the target, dealing fatal damage."

"I also took advantage of the environment and the surprise of a night attack. If it had been a real match in an arena, I still couldn't defeat a Four-Ring Soul Ancestor even if I risked my life," Lin Mo said with complete sincerity.

Shen Lin was very satisfied with his explanation.

However, he could not help feeling that Lin Mo's words were somewhat exaggerated.

A Four-Ring Soul Ancestor with the optimal soul ring configuration would only possess two Thousand-Year Soul Rings.

Those with a weaker foundation would probably have only one Thousand-Year Soul Ring.

You already possessed a Thousand-Year Soul Ring.

If you truly fought a Four-Ring Soul Ancestor, you were not as inferior in soul skills as you made yourself sound.

The gap lay in Soul Power reserves and the number of soul ring skills.

"Are there any leads regarding those assassins' identities?" Lin Mo's eyes flickered as he watched Shen Lin.

Shen Lin fell silent at that.

"Based on the preliminary investigation of the scene, we currently have no way of determining which faction made the move."

"If there are any developments, we will inform you immediately," Shen Lin said.

Although even he found that answer harsh to hear, there... truly was nothing he could do.

At his level, he did not dare speculate recklessly.

Even if he had guesses, he could not say them outright.

"Mm." Lin Mo nodded.

He already had a rough answer in mind.

The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan.

They had seen him refuse to join them and noticed his tendency to lean toward Spirit Hall, so they wanted to eliminate him in advance.

Of course, he could not rule out the possibility that Spirit Hall had sent people to stage this whole affair themselves, trying to gain favor with him.

However, the second possibility was relatively unlikely. Judging from how ruthlessly those assassins had acted, they truly wanted to kill him.

Furthermore, the special nature of his second Soul Ring should have made him far more valuable to Spirit Hall as a research subject than as someone to be eliminated.

Besides, there was still a chance they could recruit him.

Other than that, Ning Fengzhi, that old fox, could not be ruled out either.

It was difficult to tell how he acted behind the scenes beneath his outward goodwill.

After all, one could not expect all these influential figures to be honorable gentlemen.

"I understand the situation well enough now. If you're tired, you can rest in one of the guest rooms here and take a short nap first," Shen Lin said.

"Mm, thank you, Instructor." Lin Mo then rose to leave.

Just then, Shen Lin called out to him.

Lin Mo turned to look at him, somewhat puzzled.

"I'll gather it as quickly as possible. You... wait a little longer. It won't take long," Shen Lin suddenly said.

"I'm sorry..."

Lin Mo understood instantly.

A map of the Northern Territory.

Plant Academy was no longer safe.

What Instructor Shen Lin meant was—he had to speed up the process and leave this troubled place early.

"Mm, thank you, Instructor Shen." Lin Mo bowed to him.

Watching Lin Mo's departing figure, Shen Lin let out a long breath. In the end, all that remained was a deep sense of helplessness.

He knew Lin Mo would eventually leave, and he had imagined many possibilities.

But he had never expected it to happen like this...

The academy could not protect him. He was truly sorry...