Five years passed quietly. It was graduation season again at Nuoding Academy, and the deadline for the bet with Yu Xiaogang had arrived.
Early that morning, Lin Mu packed his belongings and left the inn he had resided in for a long time.
After this departure, it was highly likely he would never return.
Lin Mu walked down the street. The morning sunlight poured down, highlighting his handsome face. Tempered by the years, the childishness on his face had completely faded, replaced by more defined features and an imposing air of dignity.
Five years ago, with Tang Hao's help, Lin Mu successfully absorbed a spirit ring from a Hellfire Dragon, breaking through directly to rank 52.
After another five years of cultivation, Lin Mu had already cultivated his spirit power to the 70th rank. All he needed was a spirit ring to break through to Spirit Sage.
Even without absorbing the seventh spirit ring, relying on the power of his spirit, his strength surpassed that of the vast majority of Soul Sages, and he could even compete with Soul Douluos.
"Master, we're over here."
As soon as Lin Mu stepped through the gates of Nuoding Academy, he heard a familiar voice in the distance. Looking up ahead, he quickly spotted the conspicuous figures of Tang San and Xiao Wu.
Tang San, with his blue hair, still had an ordinary appearance. His height had reached over 1.7 meters, which wasn't unusual among spirit masters.
Compared to the rather ordinary Tang San, Xiao Wu's looks were exceptionally outstanding. Her delicate features paired with a pure temperament, along with her lively and spirited personality, made her a completely vivacious and adorable little girl.
However, Lin Mu preferred beauties with gentle or coolly elegant temperaments; he wasn't interested in this little girl type.
Of course, there was another crucial reason: he knew Xiao Wu was a hundred-thousand-year spirit beast in human form, which caused some degree of discomfort in his heart.
After all, she was a rabbit that had lived for a hundred thousand years. Who knew if she had ever given birth to little rabbits?
Although the rules of this world differed from those on Earth, for a transmigrator like him, he couldn't quite get over that psychological hurdle.
As Lin Mu approached, Tang San hesitated for a moment before speaking up. "Master, Xiao Wu also wants to go with us to Heaven Dou City. Can we take her along?"
"No."
Without the slightest hesitation, Lin Mu immediately rejected the idea.
Seeing this, Tang San's face showed a troubled expression. On one side was his respected Master, on the other was his beloved little sister.
Just then, Xiao Wu suddenly jumped in front of Lin Mu, hugging his arm and acting coquettishly. "Brother Lin Mu, please take me along. I promise I won't cause any trouble for you."
Witnessing this scene, Tang San felt a strange sensation in his heart.
Facing Xiao Wu's coquettishness, Lin Mu's heart remained utterly unmoved; he even felt a bit of revulsion that made his skin crawl.
In truth, the main reason Lin Mu didn't want to bring Xiao Wu was concern that her identity as a spirit beast might be discovered. Once the Spirit Hall found out, both the hundred-thousand-year spirit ring and spirit bone would be lost.
It was quite bizarre. For a spirit beast that had lived for a hundred thousand years, just because of a mere six years of interaction, she would disregard her own safety so completely.
No wonder she didn't think about revenge day after day, only seeking pleasure and fun. With a brain like that, she'd help count the money even after being sold.
"Remember your words. If you cause trouble, don't expect me to clean up the mess for you."
After careful consideration, Lin Mu reluctantly agreed.
After all, she was a mobile hundred-thousand-year spirit ring. Rather than letting her return to the Star Dou Great Forest, it was better to keep her by his side. She would come in handy sooner or later.
Under Lin Mu's guidance, Tang San's mindset had already undergone significant changes. He clearly understood that spirit masters and spirit beasts stood on opposing sides; there was no distinction of good or bad between them.
It was only natural for spirit masters to obtain spirit rings by hunting spirit beasts.
Judging spirit beasts by good or evil to decide whether to hunt them was utterly hypocritical behavior.
One day, Tang San would inevitably discover Xiao Wu's true identity as a spirit beast. What he would do then remained unknown.
"Master, I promise to keep a close eye on Xiao Wu and not let her cause any trouble."
Seeing Lin Mu relent, the weight in Tang San's heart finally lifted. Having to be separated from Xiao Wu for a long time would have been pure torture for him.
Hearing this, Xiao Wu merely stuck out her little tongue, clearly not taking it to heart.
"Let's go. First, we need to find Brother Xiaogang."
After saying that, Lin Mu headed towards Yu Xiaogang's room, with Tang San and Xiao Wu following closely behind.
Soon, the three of them arrived outside Yu Xiaogang's door.
"Hmm?"
Lin Mu's brows furrowed. There was not the slightest movement from inside the room, and he immediately felt a sense of foreboding.
Bang—
With a loud noise, the door was kicked open.
Sure enough, the inside was completely empty. Aside from various books scattered all over the floor, there was no sign of anyone.
It was clear that this old fool Yu Xiaogang had packed up and run away long ago.
Suddenly, Lin Mu's gaze fell on the surface of the desk. Underneath a book, a note was pressed.
Lin Mu used his spirit power to draw it over, and the note landed in his hand.
[Lin Mu, I swear to you by my title of Grandmaster that once I gather one hundred thousand gold spirit coins, I will definitely deliver them to you.]
After reading the contents of the note, Lin Mu's face remained calm, but a trace of fierce intensity flashed in his eyes.
"The monk may run away, but the temple remains. Yu Xiaogang, wait until I finish handling my affairs, then I'll come find you."
Lin Mu thought to himself darkly.
There were only a few places Yu Xiaogang could go.
The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Family was the first to be ruled out. Yu Xiaogang had sworn never to return, and since he was still a useless person, he naturally wouldn't go back to his family.
Then there was the Blue Tyrant Academy. That was also impossible.
After all, neither Yu Xiaogang nor Flender knew that the dean of Blue Tyrant Academy was Liu Erlong.
To be fair, the Shrek Academy founded by Flender was purely an academy putting up a false front. On one hand, they claimed to be an academy for commoners, while on the other hand, they swindled money from commoners.
Compared to Shrek Academy, Blue Tyrant Academy was indeed a good institution, at least genuinely considering the needs of commoner spirit masters.
Unfortunately, Liu Erlong was a love-struck fool. The moment she saw Yu Xiaogang, her IQ plummeted, and she directly handed over Blue Tyrant Academy to Flender, merging it into the new Shrek Academy.
Flender was an even greater simp than the most pathetic "clown" character.
In a love triangle, willingly becoming the third wheel could still be understood, as people have different aspirations.
What was truly incomprehensible was that after learning about the relationship between Yu Xiaogang and Liu Erlong, Flender not only didn't object but actually gave his full support, even saying he would officiate their wedding underground after death.
That was utterly absurd—beyond ridiculous!
The opportunity was placed right in front of him, yet he didn't know how to seize it. He didn't even understand the principle of taking advantage of a weak moment.
Compared to Flender, the "clown" character in any other work was completely a younger brother among younger brothers.
It could only be said that among the Golden Iron Triangle, not a single one was normal.
No wonder with a lineup of two men and one woman, they could actually use a Spirit Fusion Skill. The personalities of the three were indispensable.
After careful consideration, the most likely place for Yu Xiaogang to go was Shrek Academy.
Firstly, Shrek Academy had two Soul Sage powerhouses who could protect his safety.
Secondly, Shrek Academy had several geniuses, making them perfect subjects for his experiments.