Chapter 104: Medallion
Hearing Lin Mo's answer, Dugu Bo laughed heartily.
"Breaking through just by cultivating? That is quite the statement."
As he laughed, Dugu Bo clapped Lin Mo hard on the shoulder. The force was considerable, making Lin Mo stagger slightly.
Others might not know, but how could Dugu Bo not know?
During this period, Lin Mo's cultivation could only be described as extremely diligent.
Aside from cultivating spirit power, his demands on his own body were harsh to the extreme.
Dugu Bo still vividly remembered the sparring sessions Lin Mo had taken the initiative to request. More than once, he had fainted during those sessions, and he had even been critically injured, hovering near death.
If not for his unique Body Martial Soul granting him resilience far beyond ordinary people, along with the generous help of Ye Linyuan, a top-tier healing system Spirit Douluo, then with the frequency and severity of Lin Mo's injuries, any ordinary Spirit Master would have been lucky to continue living like a normal person, let alone cultivate normally.
In Dugu Bo's eyes, this kid was practically gambling with his life in exchange for a faster breakthrough in cultivation.
However, Sword Douluo's attention soon shifted from Lin Mo to Dugu Bo.
His sword-like eyes narrowed slightly as he scrutinized Dugu Bo. Gradually, an undisguised look of surprise appeared on his face.
Dugu Bo's signature emerald-green hair was now mostly snow-white, with only a hint of dark green remaining at the tips.
What surprised him even more was that the spirit power fluctuations emanating from Dugu Bo were much denser than before.
This Old Poison's cultivation had definitely made considerable progress!
Dugu Bo did not mind Sword Douluo's probing gaze at all. In fact, he even raised his chin with a touch of pride.
With his strength greatly increased, his confidence had naturally grown as well.
Although he admitted that he still would not be a match for Sword Douluo or Bone Douluo in a real fight, he had his own reliance.
His Jade Phosphor Serpent poison, strengthened by the earth dragon golden gourd and consolidated with his own accumulated toxins, was more powerful than ever.
In a life-and-death struggle, he might not defeat those two, but he was absolutely certain that aside from Titled Douluo, no one else would leave alive.
His poison was no joke.
After a little more small talk, this banquet, which had carried a subtle atmosphere from beginning to end, finally came to an end.
On the surface, it could be considered a success for both host and guests.
Xue Qinghe stood up, the gentle smile still on his face, and looked at Lin Mo.
"Lin Mo, your talent is extraordinary. It is truly a blessing for our Heaven Dou Empire. As the Crown Prince, I should naturally reward you."
He paused slightly before continuing, "Since you hail from Emperor Village, I will take it upon myself to waive the village's taxes for the next ten years. Consider it a way for you to give back to your hometown."
"In addition, Nuoding Junior Spirit Master Academy, which provided your enlightenment, has taught you well. I will also order that they be given corresponding resource support and rewards."
Hearing this, Lin Mo stepped forward and bowed slightly.
"On behalf of Grandpa Village Chief and the teachers of Nuoding Junior Spirit Master Academy, I thank Your Highness the Crown Prince."
Xue Qinghe smiled and waved his hand, indicating that there was no need for such formality.
Then, as if remembering something, he took an object from his robes and handed it over.
It was a palm-sized gold medallion. Its design was not overly complex, yet it exuded an air of nobility.
The gold medallion felt warm to the touch, with a faint special energy current flowing through it. On the front, the character "Heaven" was carved with powerful strokes.
Lin Mo looked at the gold medallion held out before him. A hint of hesitation appeared on his face, and he did not immediately reach out to take it.
Seeing this, Ning Fengzhi spoke at the right time.
"Lin Mo, do not overthink it."
"This is not an official token. It is merely a personal token from His Highness the Crown Prince, representing his recognition of you."
"With this, many things will become much more convenient for you within the Heaven Dou Empire. There is no other meaning behind it."
Hearing Ning Fengzhi say this, Lin Mo nodded. He accepted the gold medallion with both hands and thanked him again.
"Thank you, Your Highness the Crown Prince."
Xue Qinghe nodded slightly and said no more.
Afterward, Dugu Bo directly took Lin Mo and bid farewell. He was in a hurry to take Lin Mo to obtain his fourth spirit ring.
Sword Douluo and Bone Douluo also took their leave first, turning into two streaks of light as they returned to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan's base in the city.
In the blink of an eye, only the master and disciple pair, Ning Fengzhi and Xue Qinghe, remained in the quiet private room of the teahouse.
After everyone else had left, the atmosphere in the room became calm.
Ning Fengzhi looked at Xue Qinghe, who sat opposite him, and spoke slowly.
"Qinghe, what do you think of this child, Lin Mo?"
Xue Qinghe, or rather Qian Renxue beneath the disguise, had a flash of complexity in her eyes. On the surface, however, she still maintained the Crown Prince's composure and gentleness.
He pondered for a moment before replying, "Teacher, this boy's talent is truly breathtaking."
"A quasi-Spirit Ancestor not even twelve years old. This kind of cultivation speed is perhaps unique not only in the Heaven Dou Empire, but across the entire continent."
He paused and continued his assessment, "It is just that he seems to put all his thoughts into cultivation. He is single-minded, and even seems somewhat averse to contact with the outside world."
"Judging by his words and actions, he seems like a pure cultivation maniac."
What she did not tell Ning Fengzhi was that even according to the records she could access within Spirit Hall, Lin Mo reaching the Rank 40 bottleneck before the age of twelve was absolutely astonishing.
As far as she knew, the Golden Generation that her "sister," Bibi Dong, had put all her effort into nurturing was far inferior to Lin Mo at this age.
Hearing this, Ning Fengzhi unconsciously tapped a finger against the table, clearly agreeing with the assessment.
"Indeed. In my view, his talent is likely even above Tang Hao, the Clear Sky Douluo who rose to fame back then."
"Teacher's evaluation of him is actually that high?" A flash of surprise appeared in Xue Qinghe's voice.
Ning Fengzhi changed the subject, his tone carrying some emotion.
"This child's personality is incredibly steady, his thinking is meticulous, and his responses are appropriate. He does not look at all like a child barely over ten years old should."
In Ning Fengzhi's view, their Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan had undoubtedly lost the best opportunity to recruit Lin Mo.
The Heaven Dou Imperial Family clearly valued Lin Mo extremely highly and had already established a network of relationships around him.
If Xue Qinghe had not been his student, he would not even have known that such a genius as Lin Mo existed in Heaven Dou City.
The Heaven Dou Royal Academy and the Heaven Dou Imperial Family's information blockade regarding Lin Mo was extremely tight, and the outside world knew very little.
Even the fact that Lin Mo had used the pseudonym "Fire Dragon" to achieve an illustrious battle record at the Heaven Dou Great Spirit Arena was something he had only managed to confirm from Xue Qinghe this time.
Such secrecy was clearly intended to prevent Lin Mo from being targeted by other major powers too early.
But now, whether it was Poison Douluo Dugu Bo, who had a close relationship with Lin Mo, or the Heaven Dou Imperial Family, which had already expressed full support for him, neither would sit by and watch the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan try to poach him.
Ning Fengzhi was well aware of this.
The two exchanged a few more words before Ning Fengzhi also rose to take his leave.
After seeing his teacher off, "Xue Qinghe" returned alone to the sleeping quarters of the Crown Prince's Eastern Palace.
When the palace doors slowly closed, isolating everything from the outside world, the habitual gentle smile on "Xue Qinghe's" face gradually faded, and his gaze became deep.
Just then, the shadows inside the sleeping quarters twisted, and a figure emerged silently, kneeling on one knee.
The newcomer was none other than Snake Lance Douluo, Yu Long.
He respectfully stepped forward and presented a thick stack of documents.
"Young Lord, this is the investigation report on Lin Mo that you requested."
"Xue Qinghe," or rather Qian Renxue, focused her gaze on the stack of documents. Her eyes narrowed slightly as she reached out to take them.
.....
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