The Orphanage

The next day, Notting Orphanage.

Staring at the familiar gate, Lin Mo set his belongings aside for a moment, took a deep breath, and raised his hand to knock.

Knock, knock, knock.

The sharp sound of knocking echoed through the small courtyard.

"Coming, coming! Who is it?" an aged voice called out from within.

"Dean, it's me, Lin Mo."

Hearing the familiar voice, Lin Mo responded with a hint of excitement.

"Oh, it's Lin Mo."

Realizing it was someone he knew, the old man's footsteps in the yard became noticeably lighter.

Soon, with a "click" of the lock being disengaged, the iron gate swung open.

Standing behind the gate was a thin, elderly man with graying hair.

His eyes lit up the moment he saw Lin Mo.

Seeing the Dean before him, Lin Mo broke into a smile.

He effortlessly hoisted the two massive bundles, which were nearly taller than himself, and walked into the courtyard.

The Dean stepped aside, a flash of surprise crossing his eyes as he watched Lin Mo's effortless display.

"Lin Mo, why are you back so suddenly?" he asked curiously.

"The school year ended, and the academy is on break."

Lin Mo explained, "I had nowhere else to go, so I thought I'd come back to visit and bring some supplies for everyone."

With that, Lin Mo lifted the packages in his hands. "These are some gifts I prepared, but mostly, they're just basic necessities that everyone needs."

The Dean's gaze fell upon the bulging bags, his brows arching as he asked in astonishment, "Have you become a Spirit Master?"

Lin Mo was just a student; the wages from his work-study job would barely cover his daily expenses.

There was only one reason he could afford to buy so much for the children at the orphanage.

Lin Mo had become a Spirit Master and was now eligible for the Spirit Master subsidy.

For anyone else, becoming a Spirit Master within a year of enrollment would be a fantasy.

But given that Lin Mo possessed innate full spirit power, this was perfectly normal.

Besides... Lin Mo was the only genius Spirit Master to have come out of their Notting Orphanage in all these years.

Under the Dean's expectant gaze, Lin Mo nodded. "I've been a Spirit Master for a while now.

When I first enrolled, I was fortunate enough to accompany an academy teacher to the Soul Hunting Forest, where I successfully obtained a century-old spirit ring.

After a year of hard cultivation, my spirit power has now reached level sixteen."

"Level sixteen already?" The Dean's eyes widened. "Doesn't that mean you'll soon be a respected Great Spirit Master?

Just like those big shots at the Notting City Spirit Hall!"

In a small place like Notting City, any Great Spirit Master was a figure to be revered.

Even the City Lord would treat a Great Spirit Master as young as Lin Mo with great courtesy.

"Perhaps."

Lin Mo scratched his head and smiled.

Soon, the Dean's gaze fell upon the exceptionally pretty young girl beside Lin Mo.

She wore a pink dress, her long, raven-black hair braided into a scorpion tail that hung down her back, making her look as delicate as a porcelain doll.

The Dean looked from Xiao Wu to Lin Mo, a mischievous smile appearing on his face as he couldn't help but ask:

"And who is this beside you? Your little girlfriend?"

Hearing the Dean's words, the smile on Lin Mo's face stiffened. "Dean, don't talk nonsense. Her name is Xiao Wu.

She's a classmate I met at Notting Academy. Her family had some business to attend to, and since she had nowhere to go during the break, she just came along with me."

Unnoticed by Lin Mo, Xiao Wu lowered her head, her ears turning bright red as she whispered a greeting to the Dean: "Hello, Dean."

Her voice was tiny, her head buried low, and her hands were twisted together.

Lin Mo continued to introduce her, oblivious. "Like me, Xiao Wu has innate full spirit power.

It's just that her cultivation is currently a bit slower than mine. Once this holiday is over, she should be able to break through to level sixteen."

It was worth mentioning that Tang San, who also possessed innate full spirit power, was currently at level sixteen as well.

In terms of pure cultivation speed, Lin Mo was only slightly faster than Tang San—who had pseudo-innate full spirit power—and Xiao Wu, who was a spirit beast in human form.

This was only because Xiao Wu spent most of her energy on eating and playing.

The reason for this was that Lin Mo dedicated a portion of his energy to honing his innate talent for the Inversion of Three.

Currently, his Inversion of Three was only at the first stage: Qi-flesh Transformation.

After more than a year of cultivation, although his progress had improved significantly, it would still take quite some time to reach the realm of the second stage of Qi-bone Transformation.

The Dean stepped aside to clear the way. "Don't stand at the door talking, come on in. The children in the courtyard will be overjoyed when they find out you're back."

At the Dean's invitation, Lin Mo and Xiao Wu stood up and stepped into the orphanage, placing the daily supplies they had purchased into the back room.

The orphanage courtyard was not large, paved with bluestone slabs, with a few clusters of Blue Silver Grass growing in the cracks.

Several children were playing in the yard at the moment, ranging from three or four to eight or nine years old; although their clothes were worn, they were all washed clean.

"Big Brother Lin Mo!"

A thin, small boy was the first to recognize Lin Mo, dropping what he was holding and running over immediately.

The other children swarmed over in a flock, chirping and shouting, creating quite a lively scene.

Lin Mo reached out to ruffle the heads of the little ones, then pulled a few candies from his pocket and handed them out.

The eyes of the children who received the candy lit up instantly.

Xiao Wu watched silently from the side; this was her first time seeing the orphans Lin Mo had lived with for so long.

Yet, when she saw these little ones whom Lin Mo had described as cute with her own eyes, she couldn't help but feel a sense of pity.

Most of these children were in poor health.

A few were excessively thin with sallow complexions, clearly suffering from malnutrition.

The most severely affected boy was even missing part of his arm, which looked like a congenital disability.

Children in the orphanage with healthy bodies like Lin Mo were, in the end, the minority of the minority.

The vast majority of the orphans looked sickly and frail.

Xiao Wu followed behind Lin Mo, taking all of this in, her naturally lively temperament subdued somewhat.

After Lin Mo spoke a few words to the children, he and Xiao Wu moved the supplies into the back room together.

The packages contained rice, flour, oil, salt, fabric, and some common medicines...

These were exactly the things the orphanage needed most right now.

Since he now had the ability, he would naturally help as much as he could.