CHAPTER 36: CHAPTER 36: ISN’T THIS A STRANGE WAY TO CURRY FAVOR?_1

Fang Cheng finally left with a gloomy expression, his earlier amiability gone.

Then, Wang Linchi packed his belongings that very night and moved back to the academy.

He didn’t know what secret the Rainbow Light Series Soul Kind held, but he knew one thing: it was safer at the academy.

Considering Fang Cheng’s abilities, he wouldn’t be lacking Excellent Level Soul Kinds. His strength was at least at the Secret Silver Level, so Excellent Level Soul Kinds were of little value to him; only an Epic Level Soul Kind would pique his interest.

Therefore, it was more likely that this set of Soul Kinds was hiding some secret, which was precisely why his parents had passed it on to him.

Of course, even with a great secret at stake, Wang Linchi wanted no part of any trouble. He just wanted to keep a low profile.

"Wang, why have you moved back to the academy?"

Wang Linchi was sunbathing on the training grounds, contemplating an improvement plan for his Soul Shadow· Book of Records, when he heard the dean’s voice.

"Oh, it gets too dull staying home alone. I plan on staying until graduation," Wang Linchi replied.

Upon graduation, he would go straight to work at the Yingzhou Prefecture’s Soul Seed Bureau. Since he had obtained the Level Four subsidy, the original employment method, which involved competing for positions via recommendation letters, had changed to direct internal recruitment.

So, his secure job was already set in stone.

As long as he was in the Soul Seed Bureau, he wouldn’t have to worry about Fang Cheng.

Fang Cheng might dare to infiltrate the academy, but he absolutely wouldn’t dare to infiltrate the Soul Seed Bureau.

The Soul Seed Bureau’s status was roughly equivalent to a bank vault. What could he possibly achieve by sneaking in?

"Ah, I see," the dean said, looking quite relaxed. It seemed his promotion issues were probably resolved.

But he wouldn’t visit without a reason; he must be here because he needed something.

"In a little while, I’ll be leaving. Have you considered graduating early to join the Soul Seed Bureau?" the dean asked directly.

Wang Linchi understood his meaning: the dean was preparing to take him along.

However, Wang Linchi hadn’t expected this situation.

"Isn’t early graduation only for combat specializations?" Wang Linchi feigned ignorance.

That was indeed the rule, but there were plenty of ways around it.

"We can change your major to a combat specialization, then you can graduate early," the dean stated plainly.

"Ah, this... that might not be a good idea. If I change my major, even if I join the Soul Seed Bureau, I’d only be responsible for combat. You know my Soul Resemblance and Soul Kind situation. I’d rather just wait it out," Wang Linchi said, immediately putting on a distressed expression and firmly declining.

He was very clear about the connection between majors and employment prospects.

The dean’s idea was good, but it was pointless to ask Wang Linchi to risk his life for it.

"If I leave, it’s uncertain how much of your fourth and fifth-year Level Four subsidy will actually end up in your hands," the dean said bluntly.

He was willing to mentor Wang Linchi, so he didn’t touch the subsidy. However, a new dean might not adhere to the rules.

A Level Four subsidy was one thousand Excellent Level Soul Kinds, plus one million yuan in cash and some living conveniences.

One billion yuan was not ten dollars. By then, it was estimated that Wang Linchi wouldn’t get a single Excellent Level Soul Kind, leaving him with one million yuan at most.

Furthermore, this one billion yuan was the minimum price; if sold on the black market, its value could be even higher.

The one arranged to be the new dean would be an Elite Gold Level Awakener, who wouldn’t have to worry about risks. Wang Linchi, on the other hand, might be forced to repeat a year. Graduation could become impossible; after all, who would let go of an annual windfall of one billion yuan?

Fortunately, Wang Linchi had prepared for this and said, "Next year’s subsidy most likely won’t be Level Four, unless I can produce corresponding results by the end of the year. Otherwise, it will drop back to Level Three."

"You know how strict our Great View’s regulations are for people like us."

Wang Linchi was implying that even if the dean wanted it, he couldn’t get it, because Wang Linchi wouldn’t be able to pass next year’s Level Four subsidy assessment.

"If my luck is even a little bit off, I might not even be able to maintain the Level Three assessment, so..."

This statement was even more definitive. A new dean wouldn’t likely risk intercepting something worth only a thousand Excellent Soul Kinds, as the risks and rewards wouldn’t align.

Even selling them off would be beneath him.

The dean was also somewhat taken aback. He genuinely wasn’t aware of the assessment system. Most of his energy was focused on the combat specializations, and he hadn’t paid much attention to Wang Linchi, merely thinking of bringing along a useful subordinate.

Previously, Wang Linchi had consistently produced Soul Skills, so his assessment performance had been skyrocketing. Now that his talent seemed to have run dry, he would naturally be eliminated.

As for why he hadn’t dropped below Level Two, it was because Level One and Level Two were academy subsidies, not requiring Court approval.

Thinking of this, the dean had a realization: This kid’s potential is exhausted. I need to find a replacement. Just being obedient without potential is useless.

He glanced at Wang Linchi, who was still at the White Porcelain level, a waste of all the resources he had provided.

"Well, if you’re not willing, so be it," the dean said with feigned regret, though in reality, he was the one giving up.

He then began to ponder how to cleanly and efficiently sever ties with Wang Linchi.

Without value, he naturally didn’t consider doing much else.

Without expressing his thoughts directly, he chatted a bit more with Wang Linchi, then left on his own.

Seeing this, Wang Linchi said nothing. This was exactly what he had hoped for.

Why do protagonists struggle so hard? Isn’t it to become stronger and acquire the resources needed for it? Wang Linchi was currently on the path to becoming stronger and wasn’t lacking those resources, so there was no need for such complicated maneuvers.

As for Fang Cheng, he was indeed a problem. However, Wang Linchi was only at the White Porcelain level; no matter how fast he improved, he couldn’t catch up to Fang Cheng’s Secret Silver Level strength.

He wasn’t Yan Ming King, for whom leveling up was as simple as eating and drinking water. Did people really think advancement was as common as cabbages in the market, where you could just SNAP and break through one level, then SNAP again for the next? If it were truly that easy, there wouldn’t be so many Awakeners in Qinghe City progressing so slowly.

Since Fang Cheng hadn’t turned hostile yet, it meant there was still some leeway between them.

Soon, very soon. Wang Linchi continued to perfect the plan in his mind.

If all went smoothly, the optimization of his Soul Shadow· Book of Records should take place within the next ten to twenty days.

Once he successfully optimized it, he would have the means to protect himself.

At that time, he might even be able to explore the black market.

He wouldn’t need to worry about Fang Cheng’s threat either. Fang Cheng wasn’t likely to make a move on him in the short term and might even give up altogether. After all, Wang Linchi really didn’t have the Rainbow Light Series Soul Kind. With Fang Cheng’s capabilities, he should be able to investigate the Soul Kind’s whereabouts. Perhaps Wang Linchi would even get to see a dog-fight.