Chapter 12: Keep It Secret
After completing his breakthrough, Lin Mo returned to Dormitory Seven, his heart still racing with excitement.
He pushed the door open softly and stepped inside.
It was already past wake up time, so the dorm was fairly lively. Quite a few work study students were there, either packing their things or chatting in small groups.
Sharp eyed Wang Sheng noticed Lin Mo first. His eyes instinctively flicked to Lin Mo's arms, then he frowned in confusion.
"Lin Mo, why aren't you carrying your egg today?" Wang Sheng scratched his head. "You're practically glued to that egg, how come we don't see it?"
His question immediately drew curious looks from everyone else.
They were used to seeing Lin Mo wandering around the academy with that strangely patterned egg held in his arms. Now that he had suddenly stopped carrying it, it felt strangely unsettling.
Lin Mo smiled, walked to his bunk, and sat down calmly.
"There's no need to carry it anymore…"
He paused, then, under their increasingly eager gazes, added, "My recent cultivation has improved. The egg… has hatched."
"Hatched?" Wang Sheng's eyes bulged, his voice shooting up.
The entire dorm fell silent, as if time itself had frozen. Everyone stared at Lin Mo.
Of course they knew eggs could hatch. Every village chick and duckling came from one.
But an egg Martial Soul awakened during Spirit Awakening could actually hatch?
It shattered everything they thought they understood about Martial Souls.
Once you awakened your Martial Soul, wasn't its form fixed for life?
A sickle stayed a sickle. A hoe stayed a hoe. If your Martial Soul was Blue Silver Grass today, it would be Blue Silver Grass forever.
An egg Martial Soul should stay an egg. How could it hatch like a normal one?
"A Martial Soul… can hatch?" one work study student muttered, his face full of disbelief.
"Yeah, I've never heard of anything like that!" another added.
Wang Sheng finally snapped out of it. Excitement surged across his face as he hurried to Lin Mo's bedside.
"It hatched? What came out? Come on, show us. We're dying to know!"
Seeing Wang Sheng's impatience and the hungry curiosity on everyone's faces, Lin Mo hesitated. He lowered his head as if weighing his options.
A moment later, he lifted his gaze to meet their expectant eyes and said slowly, "I can show you, but I want everyone to promise me one thing first."
"What is it? Say it already!" Wang Sheng thumped his chest. "As long as we get to see your new Martial Soul, anything's negotiable!"
Lin Mo swept his eyes across the room, his tone turning serious.
"I want you all to keep this quiet for now. Don't let word of my Martial Soul hatching get out."
He paused, then explained, "After it hatched, I can feel my strength has risen a lot. I want to use my newly hatched Martial Soul to score well in the year end finals."
"That way, I might get more attention from the teachers during the academy's year end spirit hunt trip, and hopefully obtain a Spirit Ring that suits me better, and of higher quality."
The moment Lin Mo finished, Xiao Wu leapt down from her bunk. Hands on hips, she planted herself in the middle of the dorm like a little boss.
"I thought it was something huge, just this?" Her big eyes swept over everyone as she spoke in a firm big sister tone. "Secret kept. Sister Xiao Wu will handle it!"
She waved her small fist, deliberately putting on a threatening expression.
"You all heard him. If anyone leaks news about Lin Mo's Martial Soul hatching and ruins his chance at a good grade and a great Spirit Ring, you'd better watch out for Sister Xiao Wu's fist!"
"We're all work study students in Dormitory Seven. We cooperate, and we stick together. Got it?"
Under Xiao Wu's "authority," everyone looked at one another, then nodded quickly.
"Don't worry, Sister Xiao Wu, Lin Mo, we won't say a word!"
"Yeah, Dormitory Seven stands united!"
"I want to see how awesome Lin Mo's new Martial Soul is too. Why would I ruin it for him?"
Even Tang San, standing quietly in the corner, hesitated for a moment. Then he met Lin Mo's eyes and nodded softly. "I won't tell either."
Seeing everyone agree, Lin Mo smiled, genuinely relieved. "Thank you, all of you."
Just then, Wang Sheng caught a key detail in Lin Mo's words. His eyes widened again.
"Hold on, Lin Mo. You said you want a good Spirit Ring during the year end spirit hunt trip. Does that mean… you're confident you can reach Rank 10 before the year ends?"
Obtaining a Spirit Ring required reaching the bottleneck at Rank 10 first. Without that, talking about Spirit Rings was meaningless.
Wang Sheng's question refocused every gaze on Lin Mo.
Yes, Lin Mo had sounded certain he would reach Rank 10 before the term ended.
But he was only Innate Level 6 Spirit Power, and it had only been about half a year since his Spirit Awakening. Could he really cultivate that fast?
Before Lin Mo could answer, a calm voice spoke up.
"Probably won't need to wait until year end."
It was Tang San. He looked at Lin Mo with steady certainty.
"If I'm not mistaken, your Spirit Power has already broken through to Rank 10."
A flicker of surprise crossed Lin Mo's face. He turned to Tang San, then nodded. "Mm. Tang San's right. I just hit Rank 10."
They were all Spirit Scholars or Spirit Masters in training, and they could sense Spirit Power to varying degrees.
Moreover, Tang San had reincarnated with intact memories. His perception was naturally sharper, and his Purple Demon Eye greatly strengthened his mental force.
And even though Lin Mo kept a low profile, he had not deliberately hidden the fluctuations from his Spirit Power when cultivating in the dorm.
So it did not surprise him that Tang San had sensed his breakthrough.
.....
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