"Hiss..." A male student drew a cold breath, "Is Miaomiao really looking for Lin Guang? Is that rumor true?"

"Damn it." Another male student named Liu Yibo gritted his teeth, "Having a Beautiful Maiden Spirit Beast is one thing, but the school beauty is actually chasing him? Is there any justice left?"

"In the end, it's a world where the winner takes all."

Watching Miaomiao, who stepped lightly and came in front of him, Lin Guang was slightly stunned. It was a bit strange; she's from the "Liberal Arts Class" and has nothing to do with the joint exams. What is she doing here?

"Idiot, isn't it obvious?"

As if she could read minds, Miaomiao lifted her foot, tapping the ground. Lin Guang's attention was drawn to her slender and fair ankle... no, it was the black and white sneakers she was wearing.

It was only then that Lin Guang noticed that Miaomiao wasn't wearing that dorky blue-and-white school uniform today. She wore a sporty short-sleeved shirt, light pink, without any fancy patterns, and a pair of black athletic shorts. In her right ear was a small red wireless earbud, showcasing her youthful vitality.

"Oh my." Miaomiao, seemingly surprised, covered her mouth and stepped back half a step, "Don't tell me you're a foot fetishist?"

"You're clearly deliberately drawing my attention."

"But your eyes are on your face, aren't they?"

"..." Lin Guang wisely chose to skip this topic, "You're on a morning run, right?"

"Yep~."

With the joint exams on his mind, Lin Guang had forgotten that the school's written exams had already ended a couple of days ago, and the summer holiday had begun.

"I thought you were the kind of homebody science girl type, I didn't think of it at all at first." He admitted honestly.

"That's a stereotype."

"My bad."

"You're forgiven~" Miaomiao giggled, "Of course, I don't deny that I also came to cheer you on."

As she spoke, Miaomiao unzipped her waist bag and pulled out a large bag of things—which almost filled the entire bag—and handed it to Lin Guang. He looked down to find it was a bag of cookies, with an enticing golden hue, garnished with a few raisins and crushed nuts, the edges slightly curled up, not in a neat round shape, but somewhat casually shaped, making them feel homely.

"They're not allowing us to bring our own food into the joint exams."

"You dummy." Miaomiao lightly rolled her eyes, "It takes at least three hours to get to the southeast gate by bus, can't you eat them on the way?"

"It's too much; I already brought energy bars, I won't be able to finish them."

"Don't flatter yourself, these are made for Little Vish and Little Lisa. You're just getting to enjoy a bit of the blessing, that's all."

Hearing these words, Vishdair, whose two red tentacles had already stood upright in the Spirit Beast Space, slowly relaxed his expression.

Lisa's little face, which had been tensed since morning, also slightly relaxed.

Lin Guang, at a loss for words, could only say, "Then on their behalf, thank you."

"You're welcome."

Miaomiao smiled and waved her hand, glanced at her pink watch, and suddenly looked up to ask, "You didn't forget this time, right?"

Pausing for a moment, Lin Guang was about to ask what she was saying, but his hand involuntarily reached into his pocket, pulling out a lip balm—the very one Miaomiao had given him before. Somehow, he had shoved it into his pocket before leaving the house that morning—as long as it's not food or potions, such small items are allowed in the joint exams.

He twisted open the lip balm cap and applied it to his lips. Milk coffee flavor.

"Hehe."

Miaomiao suddenly laughed. Though a bit cheesy, Lin Guang indeed associated this laughter with the tinkling of silver bells in his mind.

"Good luck with the joint exams."

"Yeah."

"Well, bye-bye then, I need to keep exercising, health is wealth, you know."

Lin Guang opened his mouth, wanting to say something more, but Miaomiao waved her little hand and dashed off like a whimsical breeze.

Not long after, Principal Liu approached, with an all-knowing smile on his face. He didn't say much but started chatting about this and that with Lin Guang.

"Did you watch the competition a few days ago?"

"Are you talking about the provincial competition?" Lin Guang shook his head, "I've been busy cultivating recently, I only glanced at the results."

"Sigh... that's true."

Principal Liu suddenly sighed, "It's the same every year, we're just accompanying the noble families, nothing much to see."

This year's Experimental School team captain was Lv Jiangxue, with a double purple setup, who led in the points competition to clinch the final state competition ticket from First Middle School, and even achieved ninth place in the state competition.

This isn't sarcasm. For a civilian school to achieve a single-digit ranking in the Fenghai Province state competition is truly a rare accomplishment, the kind worthy of hanging a banner at the school gate.

"In the Zhen Sheng City area... the power of the noble families is still too strong. Take the eldest young master of the Huai Family, not only did he raise two Spirit Beasts with Purple Potential to Tier Three, but he also perfectly mastered the Huai Family's Inheritance [Long River Chant], grabbing first place in the state competition. Although there were no other outstanding competitors this time, it still proves the strength of the Huai Family."

"I heard that Huai Shouren is his cousin, not a very nice character. If you encounter him in the Secret Realm, make sure not to get into any conflict."

"..."

The bus arrived at the school on time.

After saying goodbye to the homeroom teacher Ouyang Wei and Principal Liu, who repeatedly advised him, Lin Guang boarded the bus with his classmates.

Perhaps it was the stern expressions on the soldiers' faces in the police car next to them that influenced them; even Wang Dawei had a serious look and didn't make any cheeky remarks, instead quietly staring at the black military uniforms the soldiers wore.

Lin Guang, on the other hand, was quite relaxed. Shortly after the bus left Zhen Sheng City's downtown, he opened the bag of roast cookies that Miaomiao had given him. The faint aroma instantly filled the bus, causing many students to gulp and take out the energy bars or other snacks from their pockets to start eating.

"Damn, it smells so good."

Enticed by the smell, Wang Dawei finally regained some energy, his eyes wide open, "Give me a... well, never mind."

Sitting next to him, Lv Rui withdrew her finger that had poked Wang Dawei's waist and looked at Lin Guang with an almost undetectable hint of disappointment.

Sitting at the front, Lin Guang, of course, didn't notice what happened behind him. He took out a roast cookie and bit gently into it. With a crisp sound, the sweet fruity fragrance and the creamy aroma of the baked cookie intertwined, melting in his mouth.

The craftsmanship isn't bad, about seventy percent of my level...

Lin Guang silently commented in his heart, then summoned Vishdair and Lisa, sharing the cookies with them as well.

More than three hours later, the bus arrived at the southeast gate of Zhen Sheng City.

To ensure the smooth conduct of the joint examination, Zhen Sheng City had announced early on that today and on the day the examination ends, the southeast gate would not be open to the public, exclusively serving this group of students.

The group from Experimental School got off the bus. The area was incredibly vast, even accommodating tens of thousands of students wouldn't make it crowded.

The joint examination did not have any dress code for the students. After all, there are all sorts of Spiritual Artifacts in this world, including those shaped like clothing and pants, so there wasn't the unsightly scene of all students wearing the same blue and white school uniforms.

Lin Guang was dressed in a simple white shirt and black pants, along with ordinary black-framed glasses, but his presence was as striking as the morning star against the night sky. Many students from other schools turned their attention to him, whispering.

"He's so handsome, is there a chance to get his contact details later?"

"Forget it, he's the ace of the Experimental School this year, he doesn't have time for you."

"Oh, I remember now! He was all over the internet when he defeated the Molten Dragon Lizard beyond his level."

"Where's the Beautiful Maiden Spirit Beast? Why not summon it to let us see?"

"Are you stupid? Don't you know you can only summon Spirit Beasts after entering the Secret Realm?"

Some top students seemed to notice something, looking at Lin Guang with a scrutinizing gaze.

"I feel there's a faint, dangerous aura about him."

"My uncle is a level 29 Spirit Master, and his aura can't compare to Lin Guang's..."

"Are you kidding?!"

Lin Guang ignored these whispers, closing his eyes as if resting, this aloof and indifferent demeanor causing a few female students to exclaim in surprise.

Then suddenly, Lin Guang opened his eyes, looking in one direction.

Because just at that moment, a gaze filled with undisguised malice and spiritual power locked on to him.

Dozens of meters away, stood a well-dressed young man, surrounded by attendants in black clothing forming a human barrier, silently staring at Lin Guang, eyes shimmering like waves.

Although his face couldn't rival Lin Guang's, it was still handsomely lined and dignified, with a hint of coldness beneath.

Lin Guang was very familiar with that face.

The Huai Family, Huai Shouren.

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