Lin Chen asked, "How is your cultivation progressing? Where are you at?"
"My Plant System broke through to Elementary Tier Level 3 half a month ago, but there's still some distance to go before reaching Intermediate Tier Peak. My Wind System also broke through to Intermediate Tier Level 3 two days ago!" Mu Nujiao said softly, very satisfied with her current cultivation speed. If not for Lin Chen's help, her Plant System would probably still be struggling at Elementary Tier Level 2.
Lin Chen smiled slightly and said, "Don't just focus on cultivating. Occasionally, you should go out and walk around. Learn to balance work and rest!"
Mu Nujiao chuckled softly, "I know. I just want to break through to the Advanced Tier quickly. Once I do, I'll go out and have fun, and you'll have to come with me!"
Lin Chen smiled and agreed to Mu Nujiao. Suddenly, Lin Chen seemed to remember something, and he curiously asked, "Do you remember the first time we met?"
"I remember. Someone foolishly accompanied me all the way, haha!" Mu Nujiao laughed loudly, clearly remembering their first encounter vividly.
"Yes, yes, yes, I was foolish. Then tell me, why was someone hiding in the garden by the roadside crying?" Lin Chen asked curiously.
Upon hearing this, Mu Nujiao's jade hand clenched into a fist and lightly punched Lin Chen's chest.
"You're mocking me!" Mu Nujiao snorted.
Lin Chen held Mu Nujiao's jade hand and said, "How could I be? I'm just curious. You, a beautiful young girl, not going home late at night, hiding in a roadside garden and crying. Aren't you afraid of meeting bad people!"
Mu Nujiao chuckled, "I did meet a bad person, you!"
Lin Chen pouted slightly and said, "Alright, alright, I'm the bad person! Is that good enough!"
Mu Nujiao snorted lightly and said, "That's more like it!"
After a pause, Mu Nujiao curiously asked, "Lin Chen, do you know about our Mu Family?"
Lin Chen said, "I know a little. The Mu Family has some reputation in the Demon City; it's considered a prominent aristocratic family."
Mu Nujiao said, "I have a cousin who is one year younger than me. Her name differs from mine by only one character. Her name is Mu Nuxin. We've had a good relationship since childhood. It's just a pity that her magic talent isn't very good. At that time, she had just awakened her magic, and the family was already preparing to arrange a marriage for her. When I heard this news, I found it a bit hard to accept."
Mu Nujiao's delicate body trembled slightly as she continued, "Sigh... How old was Xinxin at that time? At most, she was just over sixteen. Don't you think it's sad that we, the children of these aristocratic families, can't even decide our own marriages?"
Lin Chen didn't have a deep impression of supporting characters like Mu Nuxin. He only remembered that although Mu Nuxin's magic talent was average, her business talent was very strong.
Lin Chen softly echoed, then asked in confusion, "What about you? Without your family's consent, you just came with me like this?"
Mu Nujiao snorted, "Wasn't I tricked by you? Anyway, it's like this now, and the family can't do anything to me."
Mu Nujiao still felt a trace of apology towards Lin Chen in her heart, because Mu Nujiao had lied. In fact, the Mu Family was aware of their situation. After learning that Lin Chen had a significant background, the Mu Family also hoped they could be together. In Mu Nujiao's opinion, this was undoubtedly a form of marriage alliance, but the object of the alliance happened to be the person she liked.
Mu Nujiao didn't want Lin Chen to feel that her family was too complicated, so she chose to tell this benevolent lie.
Lin Chen gently stroked Mu Nujiao's tender skin and said, "Don't worry, with me here, the Mu Family definitely won't do anything to you!"
Hearing Lin Chen's words, Mu Nujiao's heart warmed, and a happy smile appeared on her beautiful face.
...
Time flew by, a few days passed in a flash, and soon it was the start of the school year.
In these few days, Mu Nujiao cultivated with particular diligence. Her Plant System was already advancing towards Intermediate Tier Peak. Lin Chen had previously given her his Three Step Tower opportunity. Mu Nujiao was just waiting for the school year to start, to attempt a breakthrough to the Advanced Tier through the Three Step Tower. According to her physical and Spirit strength, reaching the fourth floor of the Three Step Tower was basically a certainty.
Although Mu Nujiao was busy cultivating and didn't spend much time with Lin Chen every day, Lin Chen's life became more fulfilling. Lin Chen would occasionally visit the Douluo Continent. Yu Xiaogang, as in the original work, trained the Shrek Academy students with running and medicinal baths. This type of potential-stimulating exercise caused dissatisfaction among the students.
Take Ning Rongrong, for example. Couldn't she run while staying in the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School? Was the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School so poor that it couldn't afford medicinal herbs?
But to Lin Chen's surprise, although the students were dissatisfied, no one was willing to be the first to speak out. Flender had also done a lot of ideological work in private, and everyone chose to give Flender face. So, on the surface, they were polite to Yu Xiaogang, but secretly, they complained.
This also led to a bizarre scene at Shrek Academy, where all the teachers and students of Shrek Academy seemed to be putting on a show for Yu Xiaogang.
From beginning to end, only Yu Xiaogang didn't notice any abnormalities; instead, he enjoyed it, basking in the "respect" of all the teachers and students!
Qian Renxue and Hu Liena's long-term "disguise" on the Douluo Continent often left Bibi Dong alone in the Spirit Realm. Meanwhile, Lin Chen was unmotivated, idle all day, and never actively cultivated during holidays.
Seeing this, Bibi Dong decisively seized the opportunity, and her cultivation steadily increased as a result. The feeling of doing things secretly wasn't good, but Bibi Dong was very persistent, and Lin Chen had no choice.
At the start of the new semester, news immediately spread throughout Mingzhu Academy: Mo Fan had almost killed a Wind System senior the day before school started.
Due to the previous New Student Beast Fighting Competition, Mo Fan's reputation at Mingzhu Academy was already poor.
This incident, which spread like wildfire throughout the school, completely cemented Mo Fan's notoriety.
The day before school started, Ai Tutu also returned to the Demon City. Upon learning that Lin Chen had given the Three Step Tower slot to Mu Nujiao, Ai Tutu cursed Lin Chen for being biased.
Lin Chen was helpless about this. Who told Mu Nujiao that she was his woman?
Although Ai Tutu wasn't bad at heart, neither her appearance nor her personality was Lin Chen's type. As for favoritism, it was nonsense; Lin Chen was always only good to his own people!
However, Lin Chen still revealed some details about the upcoming main campus assessment, encouraging Ai Tutu to actively strive for it, saying she might have a chance to get the Three Step Tower opportunity.
Mu Nujiao successfully entered the Three Step Tower. Lin Chen reported to Mingzhu Academy on time every day, accompanying Ding Yumian while secretly keeping an eye on Xu Zhaoting.
In the original work, Xu Zhaoting was a complete tragedy, not strong in power, and a first-rate betrayer of women.
When one's own strength is not strong, a normal person would develop quietly and strive to improve their cultivation.
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