The Genius from Class One, Donghai City Soul Planning Hall Branch

"Rabbits don't eat the grass by their burrows!"

"Good horses don't graze on old grass!"

"There's plenty of grass in the world!"

Standing on the training field, Lin Xun held his weekly little lecture on romance once again.

This time, he had even updated his laws of love, creating the brand-new, complete Three-Grass Law.

The people sitting in a circle around him all wore enlightened expressions.

Xie Xie sat cross-legged in the front row, notebook in hand, taking notes with more seriousness than he showed in theory class.

"Those three points together make up the brand-new, complete Three-Grass Law."

Lin Xun raised three fingers, his tone profound. "Master these three kinds of grass, and you'll master the bottom line of romance. First, rabbits don't eat the grass by their burrows. Don't date anyone in your class, anyone from the same neighborhood, and definitely not your deskmate.

Second, good horses don't graze on old grass. An ex-girlfriend is an ex-girlfriend. Once you break up, you break up. Anyone who gets back together will regret it.

Third, there's plenty of grass in the world. Don't hang yourself from a single tree. There are plenty of good-looking people on the continent—broaden your horizons."

"Brother Xun, if an ex-girlfriend transfers into our class, does that count as grass by the burrow or old grass?" someone raised a hand and asked.

Lin Xun fell silent for two seconds.

"That's hybrid grass. I recommend dropping out immediately."

The crowd burst into laughter.

System Points +3

System Points +3

System Points +3

...

Lin Xun was in quite a good mood. Although he only gained a few points each time, they added up. Even mosquito legs were still meat.

Just as he was about to add a few more little romance tips, he caught sight of a black figure passing by the edge of the training field.

Gu Yue.

Without looking sideways, she walked past the crowd at an unhurried pace, not even glancing in their direction.

"Alright, today's little romance lecture ends here. Class dismissed!"

The crowd dispersed. Xie Xie tucked his notebook into his clothes and caught up with Lin Xun in a few quick strides.

The two walked side by side toward the academy gates.

"Brother Xun, your Three-Grass Law is really strong, but it takes too much skill to pull off," Xie Xie said as they walked. "Is there a simpler but more forceful theory?"

"Brother Xun, your Three-Grass Law is really strong, but it takes too much skill to pull off. Is there a simpler but more forceful theory?"

Without slowing down, Lin Xun pondered for two seconds.

"There is. The One-Grass Law."

"What grass?"

"Grass."

Xie Xie waited two seconds and realized Lin Xun had nothing more to say.

"...That's it?"

"That's it."

"Just one word? Grass?"

"Don't underestimate that word. Every problem you encounter in romance can be answered with its two pronunciations. Say it in the third tone, and that's one answer. Say it in the fourth tone, and that's another. Figure out what they mean yourself. If you get it, it's yours. If you don't, it means your time hasn't come yet."

Xie Xie fell silent for a moment, then wore an expression of sudden enlightenment.

"I get it, Brother Xun. Grass is a plant, but it's also an attitude."

The corner of Lin Xun's mouth twitched slightly. He nodded and patted Xie Xie on the shoulder.

"You've graduated."

Xie Xie suddenly remembered something and changed the subject. "Oh, right, Brother Xun, have you heard? It looks like Class One is getting a new transfer student. I heard she's a girl, and a genius too. I don't know the details. Yesterday, I happened to pass by when Director Long mentioned it in the office, so I only caught a bit of it."

"A genius? More of a genius than you?" Lin Xun asked.

"Of course not." Young Master Xie chuckled, utterly confident. "What kind of geniuses are Tang San and Huo Yuhao? They were only lucky enough to be born in an era before I existed."

Lin Xun: "..."

"I'm not joking anymore." Xie Xie turned serious. "But Brother Xun, our biggest opponent in the Promotion Tournament is Class One of the first grade. If they get another genius, wouldn't that put us at a huge disadvantage?"

After saying that, he looked up at Lin Xun, waiting for Brother Xun to offer some profound tactical analysis.

Lin Xun pondered for a moment before speaking.

"Xie Xie, have you ever heard the saying that geniuses are guiding lights?"

Xie Xie froze.

That sounded a little familiar, like something he had seen in some motivational textbook, but it still felt wrong somehow. He tentatively added, "So... so we should learn from geniuses?"

"No. Geniuses are like beacons. One light after another shines up, and we follow the direction of the light..."

"And then we'll find the road forward?"

"And then we'll find which direction has the most geniuses, and run the other way."

Xie Xie's expression froze.

"Brother Xun, isn't that a little too cowardly?"

"This is called strategically avoiding their edge," Lin Xun corrected. "Think about it—the Promotion Tournament isn't just Class One fighting a single opponent. The other classes are training their asses off too. Why should our class be the one to take on all the geniuses? Let Class One and Class Two fight first. Let the geniuses wear each other down while we sit on the sidelines cracking sunflower seeds and watching. Once they've fought themselves half to death, we'll go in and pick up the kills. That's called...

Lie low until the end, and you'll have everything."

Xie Xie opened his mouth, only to realize he had no way to refute that.

Chatting and laughing, the two of them soon reached the academy gates. Zhou Changxi had been waiting there for a while, but the boy looked rather nervous, pacing back and forth in circles.

Today, the two of them were going with Zhou Changxi to the Soul Planning Hall to see whether they had a chance of becoming apprentices.

Xie Xie had specifically called for his family driver to pick them up. The three of them climbed into an extended Soul-Royce.

"Changxi, don't worry yourself sick. I already had my dad ask around for information."

Xie Xie comforted him. "Let me tell you, just like Brother Xun said a few days ago, the Soul Planning Hall really does hold this kind of charity event every year, including recruiting apprentices. And they really do consider family background when selecting apprentices. They generally only recruit those from difficult family circumstances who have good hearts. If there aren't any, then they simply don't recruit anyone."

"They've always had principles in how they do things. That's because this organization actually has Nine Sacred Pillars, controlled by nine great families. Their true core strength and Soul Masters all come from those nine families. So unlike other organizations, they don't depend on outside genius Soul Masters swearing allegiance to them. That's also why they have this policy."

Lin Xun listened the whole time. What Xie Xie said was indeed correct, though it was not quite so mysterious. The Nine Sacred Pillars were, in truth, descendants of the top bloodlines passed down from the original Spirit Hall.

After listening to Xie Xie ramble on, Zhou Changxi nodded, but his hands still unconsciously rubbed at the corners of his clothes.

"I understand all that," he said softly. "But that's the Soul Planning Hall. The most impressive place I've ever entered in my life was the Spirit Pagoda in Donghai City, and even then, I was just running errands for someone. What would they want with a Soul Master like me? I wouldn't even qualify to serve tea and pour water."

Xie Xie said with some exasperation, "Can't you have a little confidence in yourself? Why weren't you scared when you saved that person outside the inn?"

"That was different. There was no time to think then—I just rushed in, and that was that. But now I'm sitting in this car, and the more I think about it, the more panicked I get." Zhou Changxi turned to look out the window. His chubby face was reflected in the glass of the extended Soul-Royce. "A place like the Soul Planning Hall must have an incredibly high threshold."

Lin Xun leaned back in his seat and had not said much. But seeing Zhou Changxi's face faintly reddened from nerves, he suddenly spoke.

"Zhou Changxi."

"Hm?"

"I'll give you a way to earn some extra points in the interview. When you introduce yourself, if you really don't know what to say, mention that you believe in the Angel God."

The cabin fell silent for a moment.

"The Angel God? Wasn't that the deity of the Spirit Hall in ancient times? Hardly anyone believes in it anymore." Xie Xie asked in confusion, "Brother Xun, how would that count as extra points?"

"The Soul Planning Hall is different from other organizations." Lin Xun's tone was calm. "Their core members all believe in the Angel God. If you bring it up on your own during the interview, they'll naturally feel a little closer to you. It's not some decisive advantage, but it's better than saying nothing. At the very least, it'll make you less nervous when introducing yourself."

"Brother Xun, how do you know the Soul Planning Hall believes in the Angel God? Even my dad never mentioned that to me."

"Why else do you call me big brother?" Lin Xun replied without changing expression.

"I guess that makes sense." Xie Xie scratched his head. "But I did find out who the interviewer in charge at the Soul Planning Hall is."

"Stop keeping us in suspense. Spit it out."

Lin Xun slapped Xie Xie on the shoulder.

Only then did Xie Xie say mysteriously, "His surname is Wang, and his given name is the opposite of smart."

Zhou Changxi suddenly understood. "Wang Idiot?"

"Wang Mingcong..."

"..."