After a day of letting loose, Lin Yun fell into a deep sleep once Li Tian and the others had left. In his dreams, he saw his parents, Lin Xiaotian and Zhang Jingxiang, and even the Emperor of Yanhuang Country. In this dream world, Lin Yun possessed the combat power to stand against the entire Yanhuang Country. He no longer had to hide his identity or live as a fugitive.

Dreams were a wonderful thing. Waking from such a pleasant dream, Lin Yun felt it was, without a doubt, the most comfortable sleep he’d had since fleeing Iron Gate Pass.

’Father, Mother, wait for me. I will become strong, and then no one will ever be able to threaten our family again,’ Lin Yun thought with conviction.

After washing up, Lin Yun stepped out of his room. But even at this early hour, two people were already sitting in the bamboo pavilion: Zhong Lin and Lu Bingning.

Lu Bingning had come over first thing in the morning. Upon seeing Lin Yun, she called out happily, "Lin Shan, accompany me to the Martial Arts Pavilion to pick out a Martial Skill today."

Lu Bingning’s smile was incredibly sweet. Beside her, Zhong Lin had a knowing look on his face. He stood up with a grin and said, "Lin Shan, why don’t you go with Bingning to the Martial Arts Pavilion? You can take the opportunity to see if there are any Martial Skills that suit you, too."

With that, Zhong Lin ambled toward his own room, sighing as he went. "Ah, to be young again. I’m getting old, can’t keep up with you youngsters."

Hearing his teacher’s words, Lin Yun couldn’t help but twitch the corner of his mouth. ’Why does that sound so... off?’

"Come on, let’s go! Accompany me to the Martial Arts Hall," Lu Bingning urged, trotting over to Lin Yun and swaying his arm back and forth.

He didn’t have anything else to do, and he hadn’t been to the Martial Arts Hall yet. With that in mind, Lin Yun readily agreed. ’Besides,’ he thought, ’what man would refuse the company of a beauty like Lu Bingning?’

As they left the Bamboo Courtyard, Lu Bingning paid no mind to the stares from those around them, keeping a firm grip on Lin Yun’s arm the entire way. Lin Yun, on the other hand, felt the hostility in every man’s gaze in just the short hundred-meter walk.

"Sigh..." With a heavy sigh, Lin Yun could only choose to ignore their animosity.

The Martial Arts Hall for the Genius Class was the same one used by the Elite Class. After all, the Genius Class had so few students that it made no sense to have a separate facility; sharing with the Elite Class was sufficient.

Upon reaching the Elite Class area, they found the Martial Arts Hall, one of the Academy’s three great halls, to be incredibly bustling. A constant stream of people flowed in and out of the entrance, all there to select Martial Skills.

"Quick, look! It’s Miss Lu! She’s so beautiful."

"If only I could just say a single word to her."

"In your dreams! She’s one of heaven’s chosen, and who are you? Wait a minute... who’s that guy next to her? How did he get Miss Lu to hold his arm like that?"

Lu Bingning’s appearance caused quite a stir—such is the effect of a great beauty. At first, everyone automatically ignored Lin Yun, who was right beside her. But the moment they noticed she was holding his arm, every eye in the place locked onto him.

Envy, jealousy—all sorts of emotions were reflected in their gazes, but the most prominent by far was hostility.

Feeling all those eyes on him, Lin Yun muttered under his breath, "What did I ever do to any of them?"

"Hee hee, aren’t you proud?" Lu Bingning asked with a mischievous grin.

"Proud? Give me a break," Lin Yun said helplessly. "I feel like I’ve just become public enemy number one for the entire Academy."

He wasn’t exaggerating. They had taken barely ten more steps before a student from the Elite Class stepped out to block their path. Staring at Lin Yun, he sneered, "Kid, do you really think you’re worthy of Miss Lu? Scram."

The allure of a beautiful woman was truly immense. For Lu Bingning’s sake, an Elite Class disciple was actually daring to challenge someone from the Genius Class.

However, a quick scan of the young man’s power told Lin Yun everything he needed to know. The student had reached the First Layer of the Qi Sea Realm. ’He probably sensed that I’m only at the Eighth Layer of Opening. That must be why he’s acting so tough.’

Instead of immediately dealing with the challenger, Lin Yun first looked himself up and down. Then, he turned back and asked, "Am I really that bad? Why wouldn’t I be worthy of Bingning?"

He looked completely innocent as he said it, his expression seeming to ask, *And what, exactly, makes you think I’m not worthy of Lu Bingning?*

"Kid, are you looking to die? Fine! Do you dare accept a life-or-death duel with me?" With the slightest provocation, the student had resorted to a deathmatch. 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

"Someone in the Qi Sea Realm can apply for a deathmatch against someone in the Opening Realm?" Lin Yun asked.

"Hmph. If you agree, then it’s possible. The only question is whether you have the guts to accept."

"Oh? Put up one thousand Low Grade Primordial Stones as a wager. If you have them, I’ll fight. If not, sorry, no deal," Lin Yun replied coolly.

Without waiting for a reply, Lin Yun turned the tables, pulling Lu Bingning past the challenger and into the Martial Arts Hall. He had no time for such ridiculous people. ’Of course,’ he mused, ’if the guy actually coughs up the Primordial Stones, I wouldn’t mind a fight. After all, that’s a lot of stones.’

"You’re a true femme fatale," Lin Yun teased the moment they were inside the Martial Arts Hall. "We just stepped outside and I’m already running into your suitors. My life is so hard."

Hearing this, Lu Bingning knew he was only joking and replied with a laugh, "What? You don’t want to be my Flower Guardian? If you don’t, then fine. I’ll just go find a new one."

At her words, Lin Yun lightly tapped her on the head and said in mock anger, "Don’t say things like that. Do you think a Flower Guardian is so easy to find? Besides, no ordinary person would ever be worthy of being your Flower Guardian."

Through their playful banter, the distance between Lin Yun and Lu Bingning was slowly closing. At that moment, they looked for all the world like a young couple in love.

After a quick tour of the Martial Arts Hall, Lin Yun finally gained a much deeper appreciation for just how precious Merit Points were. ’Good heavens.’

Lin Yun wasn’t interested in any Low Tier Martial Skills, but once he looked at the Profound Level techniques, he saw that a single manual cost tens of thousands of Merit Points. And that was with the discount for Genius Class disciples; for an Elite Class disciple, it would be at least a hundred thousand.

"Earth Level Martial Skills." Reaching the innermost section, he found only a dozen or so techniques, all of them Earth Level. Several of them piqued Lin Yun’s interest, but the moment he saw the cost in Merit Points, he fell into despair.

"Two hundred thousand Merit Points?" Lin Yun exclaimed in shock.

Seeing his shocked expression, Lu Bingning gave a wry smile. ’This guy has been at the Academy for almost a year, and he still doesn’t know how things work.’ She immediately began to explain.

"Very few people actually trade for Martial Skills here in the Martial Arts Hall. The cost in Merit Points is just too high. Most people get new techniques by participating in the Martial Arts Hall’s tournaments; the winners receive a Martial Skill. You’ve been at the Academy for so long and you don’t even know these basic things. Honestly, what do you do with your time all day?"

(Please add to your library, please recommend, please give me everything!!!)