Chapter 103: Breaking Through While Just Practicing
The next evening, as the sky gradually darkened, Dugu Bo and Lin Mo left the Dugu Residence together and headed toward the teahouse that had been booked in advance.
The teahouse was located in the central district of Heaven Dou City. It was an asset under the Imperial Family's name and usually only received distinguished guests connected to the royal family.
The environment was quiet and elegant, ensuring there would be no sudden disturbances from random people.
Today, Lin Mo was wearing the pale yellow school uniform of the Heaven Dou Royal Academy.
The reason he chose these clothes was simple.
Since Xue Qinghe was summoning him, a student of the Heaven Dou Royal Academy, in his capacity as the Crown Prince of the Heaven Dou Empire, Lin Mo should naturally face him as a student.
Although this Crown Prince was someone else in disguise, on the surface, he still had to show the proper respect.
Attendants were already waiting at the teahouse entrance. Upon seeing the two of them arrive, they immediately stepped forward and respectfully led them to the second floor, stopping outside a secluded private room.
The attendant gently pushed open the door and stepped aside.
Dugu Bo took the lead and entered, with Lin Mo following closely behind.
The room was elegantly furnished and filled with the faint scent of burning incense.
To Lin Mo's surprise, Xue Qinghe was not the only one in the room.
Besides the young man seated in the main seat, three others were sitting nearby.
Although this was Lin Mo's first time meeting Xue Qinghe, after scanning the four people in the room, he immediately recognized which one was the Crown Prince.
The reason was simple. Xue Qinghe's appearance shared many similarities with Prince Xue Xing and the Fourth Prince, Xue Beng, whom Lin Mo had seen before.
The young man looked to be in his early twenties. He had a straight nose and a square jaw. He wore a clean, spotless green robe, and his long black hair was tied with a green cloth ribbon, draping neatly behind his back.
A gentle smile always rested on his face, giving him a refreshing, spring-breeze-like air.
As for the other three, one was a middle-aged man who appeared to be around forty years old. His face was smooth as jade, he wore a pure white robe, and his temperament was refined and elegant.
The other two had much more distinct characteristics.
The most eye-catching among the four was extremely tall, but that height did not come from bulging muscles. Rather, it was supported by a large skeletal frame. Only a few sparse white hairs remained on his head, making him look rather strange.
Compared to the other three, the last person seemed less conspicuous.
He wore a simple blue robe. His long silver hair draped behind his back, and his face was rather handsome.
Seeing these three present, Dugu Bo's face clearly showed surprise.
He paused slightly, then turned his head and whispered quickly in a voice only the two of them could hear, "The one in the middle is Crown Prince Xue Qinghe. The three beside him are the Clan Master of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School, Ning Fengzhi, as well as Bone Douluo Gu Rong and Sword Douluo Chen Xin."
Lin Mo nodded, indicating that he understood.
His face remained expressionless as he calmly looked at Xue Qinghe, who sat in the main seat.
Xue Qinghe had already stood up with a smile. His gaze fell on Lin Mo, and his tone was gentle.
"This must be the genius student Lin Mo, whom my Imperial Uncle has praised many times. Seeing you today, you truly do have an extraordinary bearing."
Lin Mo took a step forward and bowed slightly.
"Student Lin Mo greets Your Highness the Crown Prince."
Xue Qinghe smiled and waved his hand, his attitude appearing very approachable.
"There's no need for such formality. This isn't a formal occasion, and the age difference between us isn't that large. If you don't mind, you may simply call me Big Brother Xue."
Lin Mo did not refuse and bowed slightly again.
"Yes, Big Brother Xue."
Xue Qinghe nodded, then raised his hand and pointed to the middle-aged man in white beside him, formally introducing him to Lin Mo.
"Lin Mo, this is my teacher, Clan Master Ning Fengzhi of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School."
His gaze then turned to the remaining two.
"These two are the Guardian Elders of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan, Senior Bone Douluo Gu Rong and Senior Sword Douluo Chen Xin."
Lin Mo turned toward Ning Fengzhi and the other two, bowing to each of them in turn.
"Greetings, Clan Master Ning, Senior Bone Douluo, Senior Sword Douluo."
Ning Fengzhi nodded slightly in response, still wearing a gentle smile.
Bone Douluo Gu Rong and Sword Douluo Chen Xin merely gave Lin Mo a faint glance and did not say much.
However, the moment Lin Mo straightened up, Bone Douluo Gu Rong seemed to suddenly sense something.
His brows furrowed sharply. The casual expression on his face vanished in an instant, replaced by unbelievable shock and suspicion.
He could not help but blurt out, "Kid, you... how old are you this year? What Rank is your spirit power cultivation?"
Those abrupt words instantly drew everyone's gaze in the room toward Lin Mo.
Lin Mo's face did not ripple in the slightest as he answered calmly and truthfully, "In response to Senior, I am not yet twelve years old, and my spirit power cultivation has just reached the bottleneck of Rank 40."
As soon as he said this, the air in the room seemed to freeze for a moment.
Ning Fengzhi, who had still been wearing a gentle smile, had his pupils contract suddenly. The surprise on his face could no longer be hidden.
His finger subconsciously tapped against the armrest of his chair as he murmured softly, "Not yet twelve... Rank 40?"
He instinctively thought of his daughter, Ning Rongrong.
Ning Rongrong's Innate spirit power was Rank 9, and under his careful nurturing and the Clan resources, she was currently only at Rank 25 spirit power.
He had originally been quite proud of this, believing his daughter to be a top genius among her peers.
But compared to the youth before him, the gap was simply too enormous.
After Lin Mo finished speaking, aside from Xue Qinghe, who already knew part of the inside story and could barely maintain a calm exterior, Ning Fengzhi and the other two immediately revealed the same expression of shock.
Xue Qinghe had naturally seen the background investigation report on Lin Mo that Prince Xue Xing had obtained earlier.
He knew that Lin Mo's spirit power had already broken through to Rank 32 two years ago and that he possessed a third spirit ring.
Even so, Lin Mo's cultivation speed, reaching the Rank 40 bottleneck before the age of twelve, still left him greatly astonished.
Standing beside Lin Mo, Dugu Bo took in the shock on their faces and could not help but reveal a slightly smug expression.
Bone Douluo Gu Rong suddenly stood up from his seat. His tall frame brought with it an invisible sense of pressure.
He carefully sized Lin Mo up and could not help but curse, "Damn it, did I hear that right? Rank 40 before turning twelve? Kid, even if you started cultivating in your mother's womb, it shouldn't be possible to cultivate this fast!"
His voice was loud and filled with deep doubt and disbelief.
Hearing this, Dugu Bo's face darkened. He immediately took half a step forward, shielding Lin Mo behind him, while his emerald snake pupils glared unkindly at Bone Douluo.
"Old Bone, what do you mean by that? What exactly are you trying to do?"
The atmosphere instantly grew tense.
Xue Qinghe, who sat in the main seat, quickly stood up to mediate.
"Senior Bone Douluo means no ill will. Senior Poison Douluo, please calm down."
He then turned to look at Lin Mo, still wearing a gentle smile, though there was now a deeper curiosity in his eyes.
"However, Lin Mo, for you to possess this level of spirit power cultivation at such an age, even I cannot help feeling exceptionally curious."
"As far as I know, even the recorded geniuses with Innate Full Spirit Power have never reached this Rank at your age."
"I wonder, just how do you cultivate? If it is convenient, could you satisfy my curiosity?"
Immediately, everyone's eyes focused on Lin Mo once again.
Under their expectant gazes, Lin Mo remained silent for a moment, as if organizing his thoughts.
Then, he raised his eyes and, amidst everyone's intense anticipation, spoke in a matter-of-fact and even slightly innocent tone.
"Just... normal cultivation."
"I calm my mind on time every day, persist in cultivating spirit power, and then while practicing... I just break through."
"Is there a problem with that? Isn't that how all of you do it?"
His voice was calm, and his expression was serious, as if he were stating something perfectly ordinary.
This time, it was everyone else who fell silent.
.....
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