Don't Boil Hot Water

The day of the provincial competition had arrived.

Dawn had just broken.

Ironically, the provincial competition wasn’t held in Goat City, the provincial capital, but in the neighboring Pengcheng.

In recent years, Pengcheng’s economy had surged ahead at breakneck speed, and its educational resources had skyrocketed alongside it. Its teaching standards were no longer what they used to be—now, it could even rival Goat City.

In fact, last year’s provincial top scorer had come from a school in Pengcheng.

Goat City, on the other hand, hadn’t produced a top scorer in years, which was a blow to its pride.

That was why Shen Zhongping clung to Lin Mo like a lifeline.

Lin Mo, oblivious to the undercurrents of competition, maintained his usual unhurried pace as he strolled toward the school.

Just as he reached the entrance, a familiar figure approached slowly.

Tong Dong was nibbling on a potato pancake roll.

"I seriously suspect I’m stuck in a time loop," Lin Mo said as he walked up to him, unable to resist teasing.

"Eating a potato pancake roll again? Do you really like them that much?"

Tong Dong nodded at him, seemingly unsurprised by Lin Mo’s appearance.

He even lifted his hand, offering the bag toward Lin Mo.

"I really like this shop’s potato pancake rolls, especially when they’re hot. Can you handle spice?"

Lin Mo didn’t hesitate, taking one and biting into it.

Tong Dong also had fried dough sticks and soy milk in hand.

Honestly, the potato pancake roll was delicious—crispy shredded potatoes and a chewy wrapper.

The fragrant chili oil exploded in his mouth, the heat just right.

On a slightly chilly morning like this, a warm potato pancake roll was a decent way to start the day.

"Did your alarm clock fail again today?" Lin Mo asked.

"It rang. I timed it perfectly."

People good at math usually had an obsession with punctuality.

Not too early, not too late—just the way they liked it.

The two boarded the bus one after another.

Several students were already inside, some flipping through practice problems, others resting with their eyes closed. The atmosphere was calm.

Xue Zigui was among them, buried in his notes.

Though he hadn’t scored full marks last time, he had still won a municipal first prize, earning him a spot in the provincial competition.

Securing a provincial second prize would be a breeze for him.

This overachiever never stopped studying.

The supervising teacher was the familiar Xu Haoming, accompanied by a heavyweight—Director Huang.

Huang Zhirong wasn’t just the head of the general affairs office anymore; he also oversaw student affairs now.

His rank hadn’t changed—still a director—but his responsibilities had expanded, keeping him constantly busy.

At just forty, this was the time to push hard.

"Hey, Director Huang," Lin Mo greeted lazily, raising a hand.

Huang Zhirong immediately hurried over, his enthusiasm making several students in the front rows turn their heads.

"Ah, Lin Mo’s here! Have you eaten breakfast? I’ve got fresh hot milk!" He started rummaging through an insulated bag.

Too eager, but in Huang Zhirong’s eyes, Lin Mo was his lucky star. And with Lin Mo’s intelligence, befriending him was the smart move.

"I’ve eaten, thanks, Director Huang," Lin Mo said, waving him off before heading to a window seat at the back.

The other students watched with mixed expressions—some envious, others indifferent.

Tong Dong sat beside him and pulled out a copy of Legendary Divine Weapons 3, Volume 1, offering it to Lin Mo.

"Wanna read?"

Lin Mo shook his head. "You go ahead. I’ll take a nap—didn’t sleep well last night."

Tong Dong nodded, plugging in his MP3 player’s earbuds.

Lin Mo closed his eyes.

The bus slowly pulled away, leaving Goat City’s morning mist behind.

—System: I sense a storm brewing. It’s time to step onto the stage.—

Lately, Lin Mo had been brushing against the bottleneck of Foundation Establishment.

But breaking through to Foundation Establishment and forming a Golden Core were said to be entirely different experiences.

The latter came with heavenly tribulation—lightning strikes.

Novels often mentioned tribulation lightning, but he had no idea what it actually looked like.

He hoped his rogue system could give him some hints.

[Host, please refrain from misnaming. This is the Invincible Cultivation System.]

"Sure, sure, ‘invincible.’ You’re the most invincible. System, how about giving me a quest to exchange for a pill to withstand the tribulation? Something like eliminating demonic cultivators or evil practitioners?"

[Searching for quests… No available tasks found.]

This kind of exchange had happened many times before.

Lin Mo considered himself laid-back, but the system was even more so. Aside from a few main quests and daily tasks, nothing new ever appeared.

Maybe because cultivation novels spanned centuries, so a few hundred years between quests was normal?

Lin Mo didn’t dwell on it. Soon, they arrived at the hotel.

It was only a little past ten in the morning when the bus pulled into the hotel in Pengcheng.

The hotel was sizable—a four-star establishment.

Over twenty students gathered in the parking lot.

Guangba alone had sent more than twenty participants, not to mention students from other schools.

The competition was fierce.

Yet Lin Mo remained as relaxed as ever.

Just then, another bus rolled into the parking lot.

A group of students in casual clothes disembarked, including a few stylishly dressed girls.

It wasn’t clear which school they were from, but with over a dozen participants, they were likely strong contenders.

Xu Haoming clapped his hands.

"Alright, stop staring. You’re here to compete, not to check out girls. Take a page from Lin Mo and Tong Dong—they didn’t even glance over."

Lin Mo hadn’t spared a look because his spiritual sense was faster than his eyes.

Someone muttered, "The girls around Lin Mo are prettier anyway. Why would he bother looking at these?"

Crude, but not wrong.

"Alright, hand over your IDs. I’ll check everyone in."

Being a four-star hotel, rooms were tight for over twenty people.

Even Huang Zhirong and Xu Haoming were sharing a double room.

With double the participants, most were paired up.

Xu Haoming handed Lin Mo a key card.

"Lin Mo, you’re rooming with Tong Dong. That alright?"

Lin Mo glanced at Tong Dong. "No problem here."

Tong Dong nodded. "Same."

"Good. Go drop off your things first."

"Got it."

Once in the room, Tong Dong picked up the electric kettle, ready to boil water.

Lin Mo jolted, quickly stopping him.

"Wait! You’re going to boil water?"

Tong Dong nodded seriously. "Thought I’d make some hot water to drink."

Lin Mo shook his head emphatically. "I’d advise against using the hotel kettle. What comes out might not just be hot water."

Tong Dong looked puzzled. "Then what would it be?"

"Possibly high-temperature sterilized underwear. And you really don’t want to ask why it needs sterilizing."