Helplessness

"Staying in a greenhouse might make the road smoother, but the scenery you could see would be limited to this." Lin Wan turned back to look at the three education committee members.

"I don't want my path to be limited to the next tournament, or the one after that."

Zhilin spoke in a deep voice, his tone carrying the gravity of one final attempt. "Then what do you want? A higher title? More resources? Those can all be discussed! As long as you stay, the Empire will never treat you unfairly! It might even be possible for you to become an imperial duke in the future!" He dangled an immensely tempting prospect before him.

Lin Wan shook his head without the slightest hesitation. "Not those."

"Then what is it?"

Meng Shenji could not help raising his voice. He truly could not understand why this young man had rejected such conditions and prospects so decisively.

"Lin Wan, what exactly do you want to do? Where could you go after leaving the Academy? Are you planning to join Spirit Hall?"

The question was rather harsh, carrying a trace of suspicion and an unspoken warning.

Even Bai Baoshan and Zhilin beside him frowned slightly, feeling that Meng Shenji's words might have been too sharp.

Yet Lin Wan did not get angry. He did not even show any obvious emotional reaction.

He merely looked calmly at Meng Shenji, and that tranquil gaze inexplicably made Meng Shenji's heart tighten.

"Where I go is my own business."

Lin Wan's voice was not loud, but it carried an unquestionable resolve.

"I am grateful for the Academy's guidance, and I am grateful for His Majesty's reward. But I want to walk my own path in the future."

He bowed slightly in salute.

"If there is nothing else, I