As Expected! It Was Safer to Castrate Tang Wulin.

Lin An fell silent for a few seconds.

He lowered his head, took out his Soul Tool communicator, and lightly swiped a finger across the screen.

Then he raised his face and, with a serious expression, read from the screen.

"Your esteemed academy has a long history and profound foundations. It is rich in teaching resources and has always produced countless qualified talents for the Federation and society. I, from the bottom of my heart—"

"Enough."

Wu Zhangkong slapped his palm on the table.

The teacup jumped, splashing tea everywhere.

Long Hengxu's eyelid twitched. He hurriedly reached out to steady the cup, forcing an awkward smile onto his face.

Wu Zhangkong didn't look at him.

Those eyes, cold as a frozen lake, fixed on Lin An.

"Perfect scores in every subject. Designed a One-Word Battle Armor at the age of ten."

"A genius like you, who could've gone to Shrek but came to the East Sea instead—are you here to do charity work?"

The air grew still.

Long Hengxu's back began to sweat.

Lin An raised his eyes, his expression unchanged.

"I came for Teacher Wu."

He said it with an almost excessive seriousness.

"I admire your upright, uncompromising character. Even when you fell out with your longtime mentor, you refused to bow to the Federation's decaying darkness."

Wu Zhangkong froze for a moment.

He stared at Lin An for several seconds.

Then he gave a cold snort and withdrew his hand.

"Fine. You passed the interview."

He turned and headed for the door.

"Come to Class Five. I'm the only one who can teach you."

At the doorway, he paused, then tossed over one last remark without looking back.

"But don't expect special treatment. I have plenty of ways to deal with spoiled brats like you."

His footsteps faded into the distance.

Lin An watched the direction he'd disappeared in, expressionless.

He had only one thought.

Was this guy jealous of the rich?

This was the first time he'd met someone who was completely unmoved by his looks.

He even wondered whether Wu Zhangkong had already been castrated.

"Um... Lin An?"

Long Hengxu had opened his eyes at some point.

His smile returned, friendly as a kindly neighbor.

"Teacher Wu is just like that. Don't take it personally."

He rubbed his hands together and lowered his voice.

"But when it comes to teaching ability, he really is the best at our academy."

He gave a thumbs-up.

Lin An nodded, his face revealing no joy or anger.

He hadn't come to the East Sea to learn anything.

He had come to collect a trait.

"Come on. I'll show you your dorm. The paperwork's all taken care of."

Long Hengxu personally picked up Lin An's suitcase, his smile full of cautious ingratiation.

The two of them left the Academic Affairs Office, one behind the other.

A few students passed through the hallway. When they saw the dean carrying a suitcase himself, their eyes all went wide.

Then they got a good look at Lin An's face, and every one of them slowed to a stop.

His features were so exquisite he hardly seemed real, his skin nearly translucent, his brows and eyes carrying a cool, distant air.

He looked like he'd stepped out of a painting.

Long Hengxu led Lin An across the field, around the teaching building, and toward the dormitory area.

Although he'd said there would be "no special treatment," the academy would never dare make this young master squeeze into a four-person room.

If anything went wrong—

He couldn't afford to lose his head over it.

A legal notice from Universal Group could make even the Federation's Ministry of Education tremble.

The dormitory was a six-story building with a light-yellow exterior. It was fairly well-kept.

At this time of day, the hallways were usually already in an uproar.

Singing, horseplay, students visiting each other—the place would be as chaotic as a marketplace.

But today, the whole building was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

All the students had been warned in advance.

Anyone who embarrassed themselves in front of this young master would be responsible for the consequences.

At that moment, heads crowded both sides of the hallway, peeking out.

Dozens of pairs of eyes stared at the stairwell, curiosity, surprise, jealousy, and resentment all mingling together.

"Who is that? What a big deal—getting the dean to escort him personally?"

"A new girl? She's so pretty..."

"Take pictures and sell them. We could make a killing."

Someone quietly raised a Soul Tool.

The moment he aimed it at Lin An, someone beside him slapped his hand down.

"Are you crazy? If you want to die, don't drag us down with you."

"Look at her clothes. That's a concept design from Universal Heavy Industry. It hasn't even gone into production yet. A pair of those shoes costs more than your whole family's living expenses for three years."

"And that communicator... It's the latest model. You can't buy one even if you have the money; you need connections."

"If you take a picture, you'd better watch out. The fine could leave you penniless."

The device was slapped down. Unwilling to give up, the boy sneaked another glance.

Then he wilted on the spot.

In this world, the rich were kings.

The poor? They deserved to die.

A single white Soul Spirit cost seventy thousand Federal Credits, while a yellow Soul Spirit could fetch a million.

As for high-rank purple and black Soul Rings, ordinary people might not even lay eyes on one in their entire lives.

"Lin An, this is your dorm."

Long Hengxu opened the door and stepped aside to let Lin An enter first.

Fifteen square meters, with a living room, two bedrooms, and one bathroom, and six-meter-high ceilings.

This was top of the line at Eastsea Academy.

The dormitory area also had a laundry room, cleaning services, and a private training room, all free of charge.

Lin An looked around and nodded.

Long Hengxu rambled on for a few more sentences, then sensibly left and closed the door behind him.

Lin An had just opened his suitcase when a series of panting gasps came from the doorway.

He turned to look.

Tang Wulin was holding a stack of bedding half as tall as he was. It blocked his face completely, leaving only his eyes visible.

His uniform was newly issued and still wrinkled. The sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, revealing two sturdy forearms.

"Tea... Teacher asked me to help you get these things."

Tang Wulin's muffled voice came from behind the bedding.

He set it down, scratched his head, and didn't know where to look.

"We meet again." Lin An smiled slightly.

Tang Wulin's mind short-circuited in an instant.

He had such a beautiful smile.

Tang Wulin's face flushed bright red. Not knowing what to do with his hands, he could only lower his head and pretend to straighten the bedding.

"Just put it over there." Lin An pointed to the corner.

"Oh, right..."

Tang Wulin set the things down and stood there like a wooden post.

Lin An walked up beside him, his gaze settling on him as he looked him over.

His eyes passed over the brilliant golden [Dragon God Bloodline: Gold Lv1] above Tang Wulin's head.

Never mind. No need to rush.

There was plenty of time.

"Put the things down and get going."

Long Hengxu's voice suddenly came from the doorway.

He hadn't left yet. Standing by the doorframe, he gave Tang Wulin a critical once-over.

He remembered this student—he'd gotten into a fight as soon as he enrolled, causing quite a stir.

Just some country bumpkin. What right did he have to hang around Lin An?

"Then... Lin An, I'll get going."

Tang Wulin lowered his head. He walked to the door, stopped, and looked back.

"I live downstairs, in 205. Call me if you need anything."

His eyes sparkled as he spoke, as though he'd mustered every ounce of courage he had.

Lin An rolled his eyes and didn't respond.

The boy was so attentive it made him uneasy.

Thinking of the damned description attached to [Wife of the Dragon God], Lin An felt a chill run through him.

As expected! It was safer to castrate Tang Wulin after all.

Once they had both left, the door finally closed.

Silence settled over the dormitory.

Lin An sat cross-legged and closed his eyes.

Soul Power flowed.

Two purple Soul Rings emerged from within him, spinning and rising.

In an instant, seven-colored radiance rippled outward like water, shrouding the entire dormitory.