Chapter 8: The Ten-Day Countdown

If there was one thing the original owner had that Lin Yaoyao envied, it was having a good father like Lin Xuanzhong.

“Father, I truly admire Young Master Murong.”

The ‘mutual benefit’ argument wasn’t going to convince the old man, Lin Xuanzhong. So Lin Yaoyao could only stick to claiming she had fallen for Murong Tian. He wasn’t there anyway, so no embarrassment; she could say whatever lies she wanted.

“With a face like his, you’d like him? I don’t believe it!”

“Father, that’s where you’re wrong. How can you judge people by their looks? Murong Tian is out playing with Second Brother right now, which shows he’s kind, caring, patient, and a good man.”

“Besides, once the candle’s blown out at night, you can’t see his face in bed anyway. And Murong Tian has a decent figure…”

This… what shameless words. Lin Xuanzhong couldn’t listen any longer. Playing the original owner, Lin Yaoyao dared to say anything.

Lin Yaoyao’s engagement to Bai Jingming fell through just like that. Now that she had latched onto the Murong family, the other Lin elders stopped interfering. Some even welcomed it.

As for Lin Yaoyao and Murong Tian, Lin Xuanzhong didn’t have high hopes. He figured his daughter’s feelings were one-sided.

Once she hit a few walls with Murong Tian, she’d probably lose interest in a few days.

The system recovered the Nine-Color Spirit Flower, instantly giving Lin Yaoyao a thousand points. The Lin family’s bad luck index became 90, and their luck value increased by 5.

Lin Yaoyao wanted to buy a spirit medicine to heal her eldest brother Lin Qingshan’s leg. It cost two hundred thousand points.

Damned system, so black-hearted!

A thousand points could buy a congenital water spirit root and the earth-grade technique Frost Palm. Making herself stronger was the real path.

Lin Yaoyao immediately sat in meditation and entered her spiritual awareness space to cultivate. Cultivation there was much faster than outside.

In just one night, her cultivation reached the third level of Qi Refining. Having a cheat really felt great.

“Lin Yaoyao, I’m breaking off our friendship!”

Early in the morning, Lu Yan’er barged in, yelling at the top of her lungs.

Without even lifting an eyelid, Lin Yaoyao said, “Fine.”

Lu Yan’er was as much of a drama queen as the original owner. Lin Yaoyao couldn’t be bothered to indulge her.

The reason for the breakup was that Lin Yaoyao hadn’t told her right away about liking Murong Tian. As Lin Yaoyao’s best friend, and her only friend, she had heard it from someone else.

Lin Yaoyao didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Over this, Lu Yan’er put on a whole scene: a tantrum, tears, then a fake suicide threat.

Seeing that Lin Yaoyao wasn’t buying it, she switched to threats and intimidation.

“The academy assessment is at the end of the month, two people per group. Lin Yaoyao, if you treat me like this, I won’t team up with you. See what you’ll do then.”

Lin Yaoyao and Lu Yan’er were the academy’s famously useless pair. They always ranked at the bottom, and no one wanted to team with them, so they could only team up with each other.

One second from last, the other dead last, and they still dared to look down on each other?

“Besides me, who else would team up with you?” Lin Yaoyao said flatly.

This time, Lu Yan’er was genuinely hurt. She burst out crying loudly.

Sometimes Lin Yaoyao envied people who could cry or throw a fit whenever they wanted. Most of them had been coddled and spoiled growing up. There had to be someone behind them who loved them unconditionally.

Seen that way, wasn’t Lu Yan’er lucky too?

In her previous life, Lin Yaoyao seldom showed her emotions. Since childhood, she had learned to endure, stay calm, and face everything rationally. Sometimes she was even cold.

“Ten days.”

Lu Yan’er froze, confused by the random comment.

Lin Yaoyao handed Lu Yan’er a handkerchief to wipe the tears from her face.

“There are ten days before the academy assessment. I’m going into seclusion to cultivate. You go back and train too. Don’t hold me back.”

Lu Yan’er thought she was hearing things. A world wonder: Lin Yaoyao was going into seclusion to cultivate?

She must be dreaming. Lu Yan’er asked Lin Yaoyao to pinch her.

Ouch! It really wasn’t a dream.

“Lin Yaoyao, you’re going into se… clusion?”

Lu Yan’er considered herself a bit stronger than Lin Yaoyao. Lin Yaoyao didn’t even have a spirit root, so no matter how she cultivated, her level would be limited.

The good-for-nothing who spent all day eating, drinking, and playing was suddenly going to work hard?

But Lin Yaoyao looked serious, not playful. The other good-for-nothing, Lu Yan’er, panicked. Her second-to-last place was in danger.

Last night, Lin Yaoyao had flipped through the divine alchemy manual Murong Tian gave her. It recorded the method for refining Restoration Pills, which could restore a person’s body to its original state.

Alchemy was not easy to master. Without ten or twenty years, it was hard to even get started. In the entire Tiandu Kingdom, even fifth-rank alchemists were rare.

The divine alchemy manual was like a heavenly text to others. Only the legendary ninth-rank alchemists could comprehend it.

Lin Yaoyao grasped its core in a single night. Even she was surprised. So her alchemy talent was that high.

If she could refine the Restoration Pill, her eldest brother’s leg would heal. The Lin family’s miserable fate might be turned around too.

Alchemy required large amounts of rare treasures and spirit herbs.

Those who passed the academy assessment could enter the Tianxuan Secret Realm, which was said to hold many rare spirit herbs and treasures.

Rumor had it that the Tianxuan Secret Realm contained a divine treasure: the Transformation Cauldron. It could refine anything into spiritual energy and was also an excellent furnace for alchemy.

Lin Yaoyao naturally wouldn’t miss this chance. Changing her family’s fate started with passing the academy selection.

“I want to go to the Tianxuan Secret Realm to find some spirit herbs to treat my eldest brother’s leg.”

She didn’t tell Lu Yan’er that she planned to refine pills, for fear she wouldn’t believe it.

Lu Yan’er nodded seriously and swore she would go back and train hard to try to pass the academy assessment.

Whenever she thought of that gentle, jade-like man spending the rest of his life in a wheelchair, Lu Yan’er’s heart twisted painfully.

The two famously useless young ladies of Tiandu Academy staying shut in for ten days, cultivating hard day and night, was quite a spectacle in the Tiandu Kingdom.

Tiandu Academy had abundant cultivation resources and extremely high standards. No ordinary person could get in.

They either had extraordinary talent and outstanding spirit roots, or they came from prominent families with powerful backgrounds.

Third Brother Lin Feiyuan was also a student at Tiandu Academy. Needless to say, he and Lin Yaoyao had gotten in by relying on their father’s clout.

Under the overwhelming strength of those favored geniuses, people like them, who entered on family background, more or less felt ashamed of themselves.

Lin Feiyuan had simply given up on himself, hanging out all day with a bunch of rich wastrels. His mind was completely off cultivation.

Every extra person from their family entering the Tianxuan Secret Realm was one more shred of hope.

Lin Yaoyao could only try to cure a dead horse as if it were alive, convincing Lin Feiyuan to cram at the last minute.

“Third Brother, you have to prepare properly for this assessment. I heard the Tianxuan Secret Realm has a spirit medicine that can cure our eldest brother’s leg.”

Lin Feiyuan felt a spark of excitement. Their eldest brother’s leg could be cured?

But the next moment, he deflated. His strength was only slightly better than people like Lin Yaoyao and Lu Yan’er. Not once had he passed an academy assessment.

“I’ll do my best to try,” he said with an awkward laugh, rubbing the back of his head.

Lin Yaoyao knew it all too well. Counting on Lin Feiyuan to pass the assessment was hoping for too much.

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