“Ten thousand years ago, the cultivation world was chaotic and unstructured. Cultivators and mortals lived mixed, and neither side found peace. It was only when immortals chose places rich in spiritual energy and founded sects, attempting to separate cultivators from ordinary people, that things began to change. Later, the cultivation world experienced nearly a century of warfare. In the end, the ancestors of Yanyu Mountain and other seniors worked together to establish the current structure of the cultivation world. And…”
Today’s lesson was on the history of the cultivation world. Lin Jin treated it as background lore for the novel. At first, he could still muster some interest, but the longer he listened, the more it felt like being dragged back to his student days. Before he knew it, the drowsiness crept up on him uncontrollably. Propping his elbow on the desk, he started nodding off like a pecking chick.
Smack!
Half asleep, Lin Jin felt a book tap him on the head. He jolted awake, only to find that the instructor had somehow appeared right beside him.
Looking down at him, the instructor asked,
“You there. Tell me—what is the state of the world today?”
Lin Jin’s rusty brain began turning slowly, frantically flipping through what little memory he still had of Records of the Arrogant Immortal.
“Yanyu Mountain and the Ethereal Pavilion stand side by side as the two great sects of the cultivation world. But in recent years, the demonic cultivators of Mingzhutian have expanded aggressively. The Ethereal Pavilion has borne the brunt of it and now shows clear signs of decline.”
The instructor nodded, but clearly wasn’t done with him.
“Then tell me—why do you think the Ethereal Pavilion has ended up in this state?”
Lin Jin could only grit his teeth and answer.
“Repeated attacks by demonic cultivators, combined with a lack of successors within the sect, and also…”
“Hm?”
“…also, the Ethereal Pavilion has always taken a conservative stance toward demonic cultivators. No matter the size of the conflict, they always give ground in the end. Once or twice might be understandable, but even a cornered rabbit will bite. Being bullied to this extent while still insisting on peace inevitably raises questions about whether there are internal issues…”
“Impudent!”
“Student admits his fault!”
Lin Jin apologized at lightning speed. But the instructor didn’t seem angry—he merely cast Lin Jin a thoughtful glance.
“The internal affairs of the Ethereal Pavilion are not for you to speculate about here. However, aside from that, your answer was acceptable.”
The instructor stroked his beard.
“I’ve heard that in this year’s inner sect trial, there was a young man who slaughtered all the monsters in the Mystic Realm and even destroyed a Painted-Heart Fiend. Was that you?”
Hearing that string of “achievements,” Lin Jin’s scalp went numb, but he still had to respond.
“Yes. I’ve made a fool of myself before you, Instructor.”
The instructor snorted lightly and walked away, leaving behind only a warning.
“Your cultivation is passable, your strength is not weak, and you possess some courage and insight. But arrogance and recklessness will not do. Pay attention in class. If you doze off again, I’ll send you outside to stand.”
“Yes, sir!”
Lin Jin lowered his head in acknowledgment, cold sweat pouring down his back.
Who exactly was the instructor describing just now? Lin Jin? Was he sure? Why was that everyone’s impression of him? That was terrifying.
What was even more terrifying was that when Lin Jin looked up, he caught someone watching him out of the corner of his eye.
His desk was in the middle of the last row. Han Ao sat on his left, and on his right sat someone else he recognized.
The young girl wore a deep crimson dress. Her long hair was styled into twin spiral buns, with two thin braids hanging down her chest. Her brows and eyes carried the spoiled, willful air of someone pampered since childhood.
She was kneeling at her desk with her arms crossed. After the instructor left, she turned her head to look at Lin Jin, sizing him up repeatedly with an extremely complicated gaze before finally looking away.
Lin Jin was so unnerved by her stare that a single thought echoed in his mind—
I’m screwed. Big trouble.
Sure enough, once class ended, Lin Jin had barely walked out of the courtyard with Han Ao when a flash of eye-catching red appeared before them.
“Stop!”
A clear, sharp voice rang out. Lin Jin only saw a glint of cold light before he could react, and a red figure drifted to a halt in front of him.
The girl in red held a nine-ring broadsword, its tip aimed straight at the bridge of Lin Jin’s nose.
She lifted her chin.
“So you’re the guy who stole all of my monsters? You don’t look like much. Tell me—what kind of crooked trick did you use to lure every monster in the first level of the Mystic Realm to you?”
Wow. The young miss really had a way with words.
“No, no, nothing like that. Just luck,” Lin Jin said quickly.
He really didn’t want to clash with this little demon. He lowered his head, brushed her off with a couple of perfunctory lines, and tried to slip away. But Hua Nanzhi wasn’t having it.
“Luck?! Are you saying killing thousands of monsters in the trial was luck? Or are you mocking me—showing off that you beat me with nothing but luck?!”
She nearly shoved the blade into Lin Jin’s face. The nine rings on the back of the sword clattered loudly with her movement.
“I don’t care. Since you say it was luck, then today you’ll fight me again—fair and square! I’ve always despised people who rely on cheap tricks. If you beat me, then you’d better make me lose convincingly!”
“…”
What kind of mess is this?!
“What? Don’t want to fight?!”
“?”
Miss, it’s not that I don’t want to fight—it’s that I can’t! Surely you don’t want to earn a reputation for brutally killing a fellow disciple in a friendly spar, do you?!
Lin Jin’s head was pounding when he noticed Han Ao beside him, trying hard to suppress a laugh.
Lin Jin reached over and pinched him, hissing under his breath,
“What are you laughing at? Hurry up and think of something!”
“Think of what?”
“Shouldn’t she be targeting you? Why is she picking on me, an NPC?!”
“Huh? You didn’t look closely at the trial rankings?”
Han Ao whispered back,
“She targeted the male lead because at the end of the trial, he killed a three-headed wolf and barely edged her out for first place, stealing her spotlight. She couldn’t accept that. But this time, I only placed third—because before I even got to the three-headed wolf, all the monsters had already gone crazy and run off to sacrifice themselves to you.
“Your seven thousand-plus points were insane. You stole all of the young miss’s glory. And then you showed off again in front of the instructor. Now I’m just background noise—and you, my friend, have replaced me as her number one imaginary enemy. Brace yourself. You’re about to suffer.”
“?”
Lin Jin felt as if he’d been struck by lightning.
Sam Williams On TYMIMA Chapter 152