The afternoon military training would continue at 2 PM and last until 5 PM, marking the end of the day's drills.
So, Lin Mo didn’t go home or eat at the school cafeteria. Instead, he went to the backstreet near the school and bought an eight-yuan pork trotter rice.
Eight yuan was the student price—for non-students, the minimum charge was ten yuan.
In 2012, the portions of pork trotter rice were generous, and you could even get extra rice for free.
After finishing his meal, Lin Mo bought a bottle of freshly squeezed juice and strolled along the small path of Guangba Middle School.
"System, where exactly is the 'sect'?"
[The place where the host cultivates is the sect. Simply reach the highest point of the sect to absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth.]
The highest point?
Litang?
Lin Mo glanced at the rooftop of the school building.
A good spot.
With that thought, he took his juice and headed toward the school building.
The rooftop door was locked, with a pile of clutter stacked beside it.
A thick chain hung from the door, though the padlock itself looked rather ordinary.
Lin Mo looked around, then pulled out a piece of wire from the nearby junk.
He snapped two strands off with his bare hands and started picking the lock.
This skill was something he had won from a locksmith.
It only worked on simple locks.
The more "illegal" techniques—the locksmith hadn’t taught him those.
Back then, Lin Mo hadn’t learned it for any nefarious purpose—he just wanted to show off.
Stealing? That had never crossed his mind.
Once the lock was open, a refreshing breeze swept past his military training uniform.
Ding~
[Daily Mission: Reach the highest point of the sect and absorb the essence of heaven and earth.]
[Mission Complete.]
[Reward: Divine Refinement Void Technique.]
In an instant, Lin Mo’s mind was flooded with obscure, cryptic words.
Yet, these incomprehensible characters gradually became clear, as if his mind was naturally deciphering them.
"Holy cow, this is way too advanced."
Lin Mo closed his eyes, then reopened them.
The breeze around him felt sharper now, and something called "spiritual energy" rippled through the air.
"So this world really does have cultivation."
Sitting cross-legged on the rooftop, he began absorbing the surrounding spiritual energy.
An endless stream of energy flowed into his body.
Lin Mo felt better than ever before—as if he had been reborn.
Not physically, but spiritually.
The wind blew, leaves rustled, and the swaying of plants and trees became vivid in his mind.
Every subtle change was now perceptible to him.
At this moment, Lin Mo felt like a being who could traverse the world with just a thought.
Then, he opened his eyes and turned toward the staircase.
But the next second, his gaze returned to the scenery beyond the railing.
Creak~
The rooftop door was pushed open.
A girl with a ponytail walked in.
Only then did Lin Mo pretend to notice and turn to look at her.
"What are you doing here?" The girl, Xie Yuling, looked at him in surprise.
"Just enjoying the view. What about you? Didn’t go home for lunch?"
If he remembered correctly, Xie Yuling usually went home for meals.
After all, her mother—the landlady—had an easy job as a bank cleaner. She could go home by 11 AM and return to work at 2 PM, leaving plenty of time to cook for Xie Yuling.
But Lin Mo wasn’t that familiar with her yet, so he didn’t know her plans for today.
Xie Yuling walked past him, glancing at the view behind him before answering casually, "Not today. And you?"
Lin Mo shrugged. "No one’s home to cook for me, so I ate out and came here to rest."
Only then did Xie Yuling recall her mother mentioning that Lin Mo was an orphan and that she should look out for him.
At the time, she hadn’t thought much of it. But now, it struck her—Lin Mo really did seem kind of pitiful.
Before she could say anything, though, Lin Mo had already turned back to the scenery.
Seemingly admiring the view, he was actually circulating the Divine Refinement Void Technique.
No matter what, cultivation came first.
Xie Yuling watched his back, unsure of what to say. The two of them leaned against the railing, silently overlooking Guangba Middle School.
Lin Mo didn’t try to strike up a conversation or even glance at her.
They stayed on the rooftop like strangers for the entire noon break.
When the bell for afternoon classes rang, Lin Mo finally turned to Xie Yuling.
"Let’s go. Time to head down."
Xie Yuling thought for a moment, then nodded.
As they left the rooftop, Lin Mo casually looped the chain back and clicked the padlock shut.
He noticed that the spiritual energy in the hallway wasn’t as dense as on the rooftop.
Guess he’d have to come up here more often.
The afternoon military training was more of the same—standing at attention and marching drills.
It dragged on until 5 PM.
Thankfully, there were no evening self-study sessions during military training, or else they’d have to stay until 9:30 PM.
After a whole day of drills, everyone was exhausted, just wanting to go home and rest.
Lin Mo, too, wanted to return and study the mysteries of the Divine Refinement Void Technique.
Absorbing spiritual energy wasn’t enough—he had to refine it.
As he stepped out of the classroom, Lin Mo spotted Xie Yuling at the end of the hallway.
She had changed out of her military training uniform and was carrying a bag.
Most girls didn’t like wearing their uniforms to and from school.
Boys, however, were too lazy to change and just wore theirs all day.
Xie Yuling nodded at Lin Mo before heading toward the school gate.
Since Lin Mo was also going home, he naturally followed.
Just then, Jiang Yunlu suddenly tapped him on the shoulder from behind.
"Lin Mo!"
"Yeah? What’s up?"
Seeing his indifferent expression, Jiang Yunlu pouted. "Aren’t you even curious who tapped you?"
"I heard footsteps. Figured you weren’t about to stab me, so why worry?"
Jiang Yunlu playfully punched his arm before quickening her pace toward the exit.
"See you tomorrow, Lin Mo."
Without waiting for a response, she climbed into a Bentley parked at the gate.
Just the sight of that Bentley made it clear how wealthy Jiang Yunlu’s family was.
Lin Mo, unfazed, continued toward the urban village.
Then, a male voice called out from behind.
"Hey! Lin Mo!"
Turning around, Lin Mo saw a familiar face.
Fang Jun.
Tall, not particularly handsome, but reliable.
Lin Mo knew him because Fang Jun was one of the first people he’d met in Class 1-8.
Fang Jun also lived in the urban village.
The difference was, Lin Mo rented there, while Fang Jun was a local.
Fang Jun caught up to him.
"Lin Mo, you take this route home too? Let’s walk together."
Lin Mo smiled and nodded.
"Sure. I live in the urban village up ahead."
Fang Jun perked up.
"Me too! What a coincidence. Now we’ve got company for the commute."
What Fang Jun didn’t realize was that his house and Lin Mo’s rental were in opposite directions at the intersection.
So they wouldn’t actually be walking together all that often.