Chapter 36: Destination, Heaven Dou City!
Lin Mo carried his not too heavy luggage and walked alone along the main road of Nuoding Academy.
Sunlight filtered through the branches and leaves of the trees on both sides, casting dappled patches of light onto the path.
From time to time, lower grade students hurried past toward their classrooms, bringing a brief burst of noise before the road fell quiet again.
He did not look back. Step by step, he walked toward the academy's main gate.
At the entrance, he showed his graduation certificate to the 2 middle aged guards. Although doubt still lingered in their eyes, they respectfully returned the certificate and opened the gate for him.
During this time, they had also heard of Lin Mo's reputation within Nuoding Academy.
Even so, just like Wang Sheng, they had never expected Lin Mo to choose to graduate this early.
Lin Mo gave the guards a slight nod, then stepped out through the familiar gates of Nuoding Academy.
Standing at the academy entrance, he turned back for one last look at this Elementary Spirit Master Academy where he had stayed for nearly a year.
The outline of the main teaching building, the edge of the playground, a corner of the dormitory building, everything looked familiar, yet it was already gradually becoming distant.
Here, he had raised his spirit power Rank to rank 10, found Charmander, obtained his first spirit ring, and officially become a true Spirit Master.
This was the starting point of his journey as a Spirit Master.
But a starting point was only a starting point.
His gaze passed over the academy walls and looked toward a farther horizon.
A new journey was about to begin.
Lin Mo took a deep breath, and his eyes became firm again.
He did not linger any longer. Turning around, he strode down the street toward the outskirts of the city.
His steps were steady, and under the sunlight, his shadow stretched long behind him.
Emperor Village was not too far from Nuoding City. Combined with Lin Mo's fast pace, he successfully returned to the outskirts of the village before the sky was completely dark.
To Lin Mo's slight surprise, he did not run into any other villagers on the path from the village entrance to the Village Chief's house.
Pushing open the gate to the small courtyard and returning to the familiar place, Lin Mo immediately saw the Village Chief sitting in the yard, using the last bit of daylight to work on some handiwork.
The moment he saw Lin Mo, surprise appeared in the old man's cloudy eyes.
"Xiao Mo? Why are you back at this time?" The Village Chief put down what he was doing and stood up to greet him, his tone full of confusion.
"I went into the city a while ago and heard people say it is not time for Nuoding Academy's break yet."
Lin Mo smiled, set down his luggage, and said, "Grandpa Village Chief, I came back early."
He paused, then continued, "I have already graduated from Nuoding Academy. The Principal personally approved it."
As he spoke, he carefully took out the 2 documents from his chest and handed them to the Village Chief.
"This is my graduation certificate and an admission recommendation letter for an Intermediate academy."
The Village Chief was stunned, but instinctively he still reached out and took the 2 papers.
He lowered his head to look at the documents, then looked back at Lin Mo. For a moment, he was completely frozen, unable to process what he had just heard.
"Graduated? This... this is not right, is it?" the Village Chief muttered subconsciously. "Doesn't an Elementary Spirit Master Academy require 6 years of study before graduation?"
"No matter how you count it, you have only been there for a year..."
But soon, when he saw the faintly playful smile on Lin Mo's face, it was as if a bolt of lightning struck his mind.
As though he had suddenly thought of something, his voice trembled as he asked, "Could it be... Xiao Mo, have you already become a true Spirit Master?"
Hearing this, Lin Mo nodded vigorously. "Yes, Grandpa Village Chief, I am now a true Spirit Master."
As soon as the words fell, Lin Mo's mind stirred slightly.
A flash of red light appeared, and Charmander immediately emerged from his body, landing steadily by his feet.
At the same time, a bright yellow spirit ring rose from beneath Charmander, circling rhythmically around it and giving off a soft yellow glow.
The Village Chief's eyes widened as he stared fixedly at Charmander and the yellow spirit ring beneath it.
This time, he was completely stunned.
He subconsciously raised a hand and rubbed his eyes, beginning to wonder if he was seeing things.
"What is this?" The Village Chief pointed at Charmander, his voice rising. "Wasn't your Martial Soul... an egg?"
"What is this Spirit Beast with a flaming tail? And the yellow ring under it, is that a spirit ring?"
He felt like his brain had stopped working. Lin Mo and the strange Martial Soul with a ring beneath it were completely overturning everything he thought he knew.
This was far too different from the bits and pieces of Spirit Master knowledge he had heard before.
Seeing the Village Chief's confusion, Lin Mo reached out and patted Charmander on the head. Charmander rubbed against his palm comfortably.
He explained slowly, "Grandpa Village Chief, you are not mistaken. This is my Martial Soul. I call it Charmander. It hatched from my previous Martial Soul egg."
He then added, "After entering the academy, I did not slack off in cultivation. Not long ago, through hard work, I managed to raise my spirit power Rank to rank 10."
"Then, by great luck, I gained the Principal's favor. He personally took me to the Soul Hunting Forest and helped me obtain this hundred year spirit ring that best fits Charmander."
As the Village Chief listened to Lin Mo's explanation, he was stunned on the spot. His mouth hung slightly open, and for a long time he could not close it.
He had never imagined that the villagers' private joke, that maybe Lin Mo's egg might hatch one day, would actually come true.
What shocked him even more was Lin Mo's cultivation speed.
For many children, even after 6 years at the academy, they might still fail to reach rank 10 spirit power and become a Spirit Master.
But Lin Mo had only awakened his Spirit about a year ago. Not only had he broken through rank 10, he had even obtained a hundred year first spirit ring.
This cultivation speed was simply terrifying.
After a long while, the Village Chief finally came back to his senses.
He took a deep breath, trying to calm his surging emotions as he looked at Lin Mo with an extremely complicated gaze.
"Good... good child!" The Village Chief patted Lin Mo's shoulder hard, his voice carrying a trace of a sob.
"Grandpa Village Chief, I can stay in the village for about half a month this time," Lin Mo said.
"The journey from Nuoding City to Heaven Dou City is too far. I have to set out early, otherwise I may miss the Intermediate academy enrollment..."
Hearing Lin Mo's words, the Village Chief could no longer control his emotions. His voice trembled as he said,
"Our Village... our Emperor Village has finally produced another Spirit Master!"
He looked at Lin Mo, his eyes filled with pride.
"Xiao Mo, you will definitely surpass our former Spirit Emperor ancestor in the future!"
"When he was your age, he was nowhere near as strong as you!"
Not long after, The Village held an unprecedentedly lively celebration.
The Village Chief personally hosted it, and almost all the villagers took part.
And after hearing the news that Lin Mo had become a Spirit Master in just 1 year, every villager was shocked beyond words.
Half a month passed in the blink of an eye.
Lin Mo had already packed his luggage. There was not much, only some dry rations and a change of clothes.
However, on the morning of his departure, Lin Mo firmly persuaded the Village Chief not to escort him all the way to Heaven Dou City.
Heaven Dou City was not like Nuoding City. The journey was extremely long.
After all, Lin Mo was now a true Spirit Master. In terms of physical stamina alone, he far surpassed the elderly Village Chief.
During the previous half month, Lin Mo had used the excuse of spirit power and the qi and blood power of his second martial soul to help regulate the Village Chief's body.
Based on the little medical knowledge Lin Mo possessed, the old man's physical condition was actually quite good, much better than most people his age.
But compared to Lin Mo, who had already become a true Spirit Master, there was naturally no comparison.
"Grandpa Village Chief, do not see me off," Lin Mo said with a smile. "I have already asked around about the road to Heaven Dou City, and I have also contacted a merchant caravan that is heading there in advance. Later, I will go to Nuoding City to meet up with them."
"You can rest assured. Once I settle down there, I will find a way to send you a letter."
The Village Chief looked at Lin Mo and went quiet for a moment. In the end, he only patted Lin Mo on the shoulder.
With red rimmed eyes, he nodded heavily, and all the words in his heart became a single sentence.
"On the road... be careful!"
"Yes, I know," Lin Mo replied.
He gave one last look at the Village, where he had lived for 6 years, and at the Village Chief standing at the village entrance, still waving at him again and again.
Then he turned around, stepped forward, and embarked on the journey to Heaven Dou City.
.....
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