Who is really competing against whom

Breaking through to the Foundation Establishment stage happened in an instant.

However, Lin Mo hadn’t expected the breakthrough to directly trigger celestial phenomena.

It wasn’t a heavenly tribulation—the lightning wasn’t meant to strike him—just a simple surge of wind and clouds.

But at the moment of his breakthrough, an overwhelming force involuntarily erupted outward.

It caused a shockwave in the air.

And because of this, that group of hikers had met with misfortune.

Lin Mo wasn’t a saint.

Not a saint.

Not a saint.

But deep down, he was the type who disliked troubling others.

So he intervened. With his abundant spiritual energy, he effortlessly carried them down the mountain and nudged them toward seeking medical help.

Finally, he erased their memories.

A flawless operation.

If Lin Mo only had cultivation techniques but no divine abilities, none of this would’ve been possible.

All he could say was—the rewards from "System Bro" were top-tier.

[Host has stepped into Foundation Establishment. From this moment, a cultivator can perceive the fluctuations of heaven and earth. However, Foundation Establishment cultivators in the Nine Heavens Realm are as common as fish in a river. Host should not grow complacent.]

"If you were to put that in human terms, would it mean ‘stay low-key’?"

[Host has self-awareness, I see.]

"If you can’t make me invincible, then why call yourself the ‘Invincible Cultivation System’?"

[This system is invincible, not the host. Stay grounded, please.]

Fine, fine. Playing games like this, huh?

Then I quit.

Lin Mo went home and took a hot bath.

Not because he was unclean—just because he wanted to relax.

After the bath, he teleported back to the foot of his rented apartment.

Glancing at the time, it was still early.

He bought a massive serving of street barbecue before heading upstairs.

Who said cultivators don’t eat?

Skip a meal, and you’ll be starving, alright?

Even after reaching Foundation Establishment, he was still his mom’s precious boy—gotta eat well!

While climbing the stairs, Lin Mo was about to text Xie Yuling.

But with a sweep of his divine sense, he realized the girl was already inside his room.

Seriously, where were the boundaries?!

Sneaking into a guy’s room late at night—was that reasonable?

Lin Mo pushed the door open.

And there was Xie Yuling, diligently studying his advanced math textbooks.

My bad, I should’ve scanned more carefully with my divine sense.

"Working this hard? Trying to outshine me during the holidays?"

"Outshine?" Xie Yuling set down her pen and turned to look at him.

The term "grind" didn’t exist in 2012.

"Yeah, the grind—studying while everyone else is slacking off. Isn’t that what you’re doing?"

"Not really. I was just bored. Watched dramas on your computer for hours, then finished and decided to solve some problems."

The girl explained earnestly.

Lin Mo subtly touched the computer tower.

Cold.

He simply waved. "Come on, let’s go upstairs for barbecue."

"That move just now—you didn’t believe me, did you?"

"Yeah. I think you’re secretly studying, secretly grinding to surpass me." Lin Mo handed her the barbecue.

Xie Yuling puffed her cheeks and huffed.

"Fine, yes! I am grinding to crush you!"

Lin Mo instinctively reached out and ruffled her hair.

"Give you a few thousand years, and you still wouldn’t catch up."

With that, the two headed upstairs.

Auntie Zheng was watching TV.

Hearing the door open, she called out,

"Finally back, huh, you girl?"

"Yeah, I chased her back." Lin Mo chimed in, placing the large box of barbecue on the table.

"Auntie Zheng, have some."

Zheng Yuan smiled at Lin Mo. "Why’d you come back now?"

"Going clothes shopping tomorrow, so I figured I’d return and head out with her."

"Ah, making an extra trip just for that?"

Lin Mo shook his head.

"Not at all. It’s actually closer this way. Plus, Xie Yuling can wake me up—I might oversleep otherwise."

Zheng Yuan nodded, glancing at her daughter, who was already sneakily nibbling on grilled shrimp.

Under the table, she nudged Xie Yuling with her foot.

"You. Remember to call Lin Mo tomorrow."

"Got it, I will."

"Mainly because there’ll be others coming too, so we need to be punctual."

This was also to reassure Zheng Yuan.

After all, they were only high school freshmen—no need to give Auntie Zheng any "early romance" ideas.

After finishing a shrimp, Xie Yuling frowned. "This isn’t as good as the ones you grilled yesterday."

Just then, Auntie Zheng brought over herbal tea.

"Drink some ‘Beng Da Wan’—all that barbecue is too heaty."

Lin Mo downed it without hesitation.

A kid like this? How could elders not adore him?

......

A little past 1 PM.

Xie Yuling knocked on Lin Mo’s door.

"Hey! Time to get up."

"Coming."

Lin Mo opened the door casually. His computer was on, displaying chemistry materials.

The advanced math textbook beside it remained closed.

"Studying chemistry now? No more math?"

"Yeah, hit a bottleneck. Switching subjects to refresh my brain."

Lin Mo said it lightly, but Xie Yuling’s face screamed "Stop studying already!"

"You’re the real grinder here."

Grinder? Call me the Grind King!

But it was only then that Lin Mo noticed Xie Yuling’s outfit for the day.

A blue-patterned short-sleeve and a sky-blue skirt—short, but reaching her knees.

Paired with white knee-high socks?

Absolute attack-speed boost.

Lin Mo averted his gaze.

Soon, they were out the door.

Lin Mo checked his phone, coordinating with the group.

"Let’s go pick up my neighbor first."

"Huh?" Xie Yuling looked puzzled.

Lin Mo rarely talked about such things, but she did recall Chu Miaomiao—the girl with the impressive bust.

"That… um…" Xie Yuling hesitated, struggling to describe her.

"Yeah, her. But she’s been through some stuff—keeps to herself now. So we should fetch her."

Xie Yuling asked cautiously, "What happened? Can you say?"

Lin Mo considered it. Strictly speaking, it wasn’t a stain on her character, but she might see it as a shameful secret.

"Once, she was nearly assaulted. I beat the guy up and sent him to prison for reform."

Xie Yuling’s expression shifted. If something like that happened to her, she’d probably become withdrawn too.

Lin Mo glanced at her.

Cold + introverted? The perfect recipe for a "depression saint physique."

Better not.

But knowing this, Xie Yuling might empathize with Chu Miaomiao. Maybe they could even become friends.

Two friendless people becoming friends—what a beautiful thing.

Better than chicken soup for the soul.

And Lin Mo trusted Xie Yuling not to gossip.

They reached the apartment complex’s entrance.

Just as they arrived, a voice called out.

"Lin Mo!"

He turned. It was Geng Xiao.

She wore a floral dress, light makeup, and contact lenses—her looks noticeably upgraded.

But objectively, she still fell short of Xie Yuling.

The moment Geng Xiao saw Xie Yuling, her smile faltered slightly.

But she quickly recovered, jogging toward Lin Mo.

"Here to pick us up?"