Word Spirit

"The exam is over. Good thing I was here to save your papers in time."

Angers caressed the ten sheets of paper covered in Draconic script as if they were priceless treasures. Only then did Manstein realize that Li Lin had answered every question, and his gaze filled with amazement and delight.

"Headmaster, how did I do?"

"There were originally only eight questions. We added two more specifically for you and Xia Mi. We almost used up every recorded 'Emperor' excerpt the school had."

Angers smiled. "You answered all of them. If every answer is correct, then congratulations—you'll become the only S-Rank student currently enrolled."

Hearing that, Li Lin looked around the wrecked screening room, where broken tables and chairs lay everywhere. He realized that he had fallen into a Spirit Vision earlier.

Spirit Vision was like a dream. Once you woke up, all that remained was a vague, misty impression.

Manstein noticed Li Lin's gaze and was deeply moved. After so many years, Cassel College finally had a new student who knew to cherish public property before the Discipline Committee even issued a fine.

He showed just the right amount of concern for Li Lin. "Are you worried about these chairs? Don't worry. The damage was caused during a Spirit Vision, so the school won't make you pay for it."

In truth, Li Lin was judging from the damage in the screening room what kind of Word Spirit he had awakened. He had heard that when students awakened their bloodline during the 3E Exam, they would experience an overwhelming urge to "confide." Yet he felt nothing like that. Instead, with every movement, he could sense earth elements flowing along the surface of his body.

Caught off guard by the professor's words, Li Lin could only follow the subject and thank him.

Angers patted Li Lin on the shoulder, put an arm around the school's newest S-Rank student, and led him out of the screening room. Then he signaled for Manstein to take Li Lin and Xia Mi away together.

"Your performance today far exceeded my expectations. The Information Department has already begun analyzing the exam recording. In about an hour, they should be able to identify the corresponding Word Spirit from the Draconic language you recited. Remember to extinguish your Golden Eyes before you go out."

The headmaster called after them.

Li Lin did as he was told. Once Dragon Blood began flowing through his body, igniting or extinguishing his Golden Eyes was as easy as buttoning his collar.

But when Li Lin saw Xia Mi standing so close by, he immediately realized a crucial problem.

Since the Dragon-Slaying Binding System had synchronized Xia Mi's reaction to the "Emperor," then purified Li Lin's bloodline to a degree comparable to Astartes surgery—

Then Xia Mi's bloodline rank after the exam should also have been S.

Yet Angers had explicitly said that only Li Lin had answered all ten questions.

As soon as that thought surfaced, Li Lin quickened his pace and left the teaching building.

He caught up with Xia Mi. Just as he was about to ask about her exam results, he met her incredibly complicated gaze—confusion, surprise, and unwillingness all mixed together.

"Li Lin? What is it?"

The young girl's voice was as soft and thin as the faint whimper of a severely frightened cat.

"Did I almost hurt you after entering Spirit Vision?"

Li Lin noticed Xia Mi's strange reaction.

"Hmph?" Xia Mi habitually wanted to snort disdainfully, but she seemed to have genuinely been frightened. Her tone rose halfway before drooping again.

"It wasn't that bad. Don't apologize to me. I wasn't scared by you."

Xia Mi spoke softly, but her eyes remained fixed on Li Lin's face, as though she wanted to see through his flesh and confirm exactly what kind of monster was hidden beneath it.

After considering it for a moment, Li Lin asked, "Then did you mess up the exam?"

"I wouldn't say I messed it up..." Xia Mi heard him deliberately avoiding the matter and tried hard to adjust her mood. "I answered eight questions. I definitely got an A."

"You really didn't answer all ten?"

"No."

Li Lin did not think too deeply about it. After all, he had yet to truly understand where this system had come from.

Considering that Xia Mi was in a somewhat bad mood, Li Lin could only go chat with Professor Manstein beside them.

Manstein was extremely excited at the moment, holding his phone as he shared the good news with his old friends.

After all, of the two preparatory students under his care, one had become the only enrolled S-Rank student in the entire school, while the other was one of the rare A-Ranks on campus. Both also possessed considerable combat experience.

But Li Lin had barely taken two steps when Xia Mi suddenly attacked from behind and shoved his shoulder hard.

"Where are you going?"

"Uh... to talk with the professor."

"Aren't we attending the Student Union banquet tonight? Wearing school uniforms won't do. Come on, I'll take you to pick out a suit."

Xia Mi had somehow already recovered her usual playful smile, pushing Li Lin away from Manstein.

To attend a banquet, one needed proper formal attire, as well as a female companion who could hold her own.

Honestly, this was Li Lin's first time seeing Xia Mi in formal dress.

When Xia Mi boldly called herself "beautiful enough to beguile demons," she truly was not exaggerating.

When she stepped out of the clothing store, even the saleswoman was left staring.

The elegant long dress outlined the girl's delicate, graceful figure. Its skirt was pale in color, like the first ray of spring morning light falling upon a lake—soft, restrained, and perfectly measured.

Holding up her skirt, she sat beside Li Lin. With the slightest turn of his head, he could see Xia Mi's exposed, slender, fair, soft shoulder and neck. Her collarbones dipped lightly, as though moonlight had spilled there and lingered, unwilling to leave.

Her dark coffee-brown hair had been lightly pinned up, leaving only two curled locks hanging over her chest, further highlighting her flawless face, which still carried a faint trace of girlish youth.

She wore no unnecessary jewelry, yet still radiated a charm worthy of being called "calamitous enough to ruin kingdoms and harm the people."

Even Li Lin, who claimed to have maxed out his resistance to Xia Mi's allure, could not help staring at her for a while. Then he quickly noticed the dress's only flaw—

"Why did you pad yourself so much? It looks kind of strange."

At those words, Xia Mi immediately bristled. She raised her hand and messed up Li Lin's hair, which the stylist had stiffened with mousse, then ran off to wash her hands.

"Obviously! How could we possibly have time to order a tailored dress? I only picked a dress that was barely the right size!"

Xia Mi had originally been slender enough to see her toes just by lowering her head. After an emergency filling of sponge and cotton, she now possessed a fake set of front armor.

Li Lin sat on the sofa and bickered with Xia Mi for a while when his phone suddenly rang.

He immediately abandoned Xia Mi, took out his phone, and opened the Word Spirit data sent by the Information Department.

[This Word Spirit has special properties. Along with No. 80, "Iron Flow," it belongs to the Bloodline Origin of the King of Earth and Mountains. It is said that within a domain created by a First-Generation Species, "Iron Flow" can control every metallic element in its range, using them for attack or construction, or extracting the metal elements from a target's body and depriving it of the energy needed to sustain life.]

[Word Spirit Name: Rock Flow. Discoverer: Chimaki Saishai.]

["Before Sasaki Kojiro used that sword to cut down a swallow, there had once been someone capable of using a blade to imitate the weight of mountain ranges."]

["Rock Flow" can activate earth elements within its domain and alter their direction of flow, changing the shape of rocks or controlling them for attack.]

[Executive Department message: Upon receiving this notice, please report to the Executive Department for Word Spirit testing before the end of this weekend.]