"I can't believe you actually accomplished it; that's incredible." A hint of surprise showed on the Dean's worn face. He hadn't expected Wang Linchi to give him such a significant surprise in such a short amount of time.
These days, he had been cooperating with the Government Office to eliminate the Baylong Religion. The results had been quite satisfactory, and they had recently begun wrapping things up, so it was a rare occasion for him to actually be in his office.
"When will I be able to receive this third-level subsidy, Dean?" Wang Linchi asked promptly. This was no time for pleasantries; was he supposed to ask about the Dean's mood?
"I will help you apply for it. However, the third-level subsidy involves an Excellent Level Soul Seed and needs to be approved by the Prefect Magistrate, which will take some time."
"As you know, things have been incredibly busy recently; it won't be easy to get it approved."
"And you should also prepare for failure. After all, not just anyone can successfully apply for the third-level subsidy," the Dean said, putting away the Third Generation Soul Seed Boiling.
Wang Linchi naturally understood the Dean's implication: he neither came from a powerful faction, nor had connections or backing, nor was he a prodigy among Battle-type Awakeners. Therefore, the Prefect Magistrate might not genuinely favor him.
Moreover, his Potential was only 4. In a county town, this indeed made him a genius, but in the Prefecture City, he could only be considered mediocre. After all, neither the academy nor the Court valued the general populace; they prized students with great potential and profound backgrounds.
Ordinary students lacked sufficient resources, so their growth ceiling was limited.
Students from influential factions or with significant backgrounds were different. They had people behind them who could collaborate, they didn't need to worry too much about their growth, and they also had the help of their family status.
Therefore, ordinary students were naturally dispensable.
Furthermore, the Dean felt that Wang Linchi had reached his limit here.
Firstly, Wang Linchi had no way to access Soul Seeds above the Excellent Level. Secondly, Soul Seed Boiling was inherently a Soul Skill for low-level Awakeners. Those in the middle and upper echelons had better options; why would they need something like his?
"Please do your utmost, Dean. Next, I will further refine Soul Seed Boiling to reduce its cooldown time and lessen its side effects. Furthermore, based on these three versions, I will develop entirely new Soul Skills. Perhaps in the future, it could allow Excellent Level and lower Soul Seeds to achieve 40% efficacy and be used consecutively."
"I just need a sufficient number of Soul Seeds."
At this point, Wang Linchi naturally began to make grand promises. Otherwise, if he said nothing, the other party would merely make a passing mention, and there would be no further developments.
The implication was: if you want achievements, you have to help me. Otherwise, this becomes a one-time transaction, and I won't be able to produce anything to help you get promoted later.
The Dean's expression brightened, and he then asked, "How long will it take you to produce results?"
"Before next year's mid-year exam, I will certainly present results of sufficient weight," Wang Linchi said, knowing the other party wouldn't just take his word for it.
So he very tactfully provided a deadline.
"Good! As long as your results are sufficiently weighty, I will help you apply for a fourth-level subsidy next year!" the Dean said instantly.
This didn't mean he would upgrade Wang Linchi's subsidy next year; rather, it meant he would get the third-level subsidy approved for him.
As for the fourth-level subsidy, that was, like Wang Linchi's own words, just an empty promise. After all, what constituted 'sufficiently weighty' was up to the Dean to decide. Moreover, he used the words 'help you apply,' meaning he would submit a report for Wang Linchi, but he wouldn't exert himself. Whether it succeeded would be another matter entirely.
This time, however, he was planning to exert effort to help.
Saying he would exert effort was just talk; in reality, he didn't need to do much at all, just speak in Wang Linchi's favor. Wang Linchi had estimated that the Third Generation Soul Seed Boiling was enough to obtain the third-level subsidy, unless someone deliberately interfered.
Interfering and ruining this matter was also very simple, because no one would care about an Awakener with an ordinary-type Soul Resemblance. Selling a small favor would be enough.
And the Dean's role was to prevent such interference. As long as the interfering person wasn't too powerful, the Dean could basically stop them. If they were too powerful, then the Dean would naturally act as if he had never promised Wang Linchi anything.
After some more conversation, Wang Linchi finally left.
There's a ninety percent chance it's stable. Wang Linchi estimated internally.
He wasn't like Yan Ming King; he hadn't offended many people, just the Liu Family, a Great Family.
However, so much time had passed. If they wanted to retaliate, they would have done so long ago. Since they hadn't retaliated by now, they had probably let the matter drop.
The likelihood of the Liu Family retaliating was less than someone envying his subsidy, deliberately intercepting it, and making him think it wasn't approved when, in fact, they had claimed it.
I can only hope the Dean puts in a solid effort and doesn't drop the ball midway.
Wang Linchi was truly annoyed by this kind of situation where he had to rely on others. Being controlled and constrained by someone else, unable to do anything—it was too helpless.
He didn't return immediately but headed to the library.
Mo Yan was still spacing out, bored. Seeing Wang Linchi arrive, his expression lit up, and he quickly called him over.
"You're finally out! I thought you were dead," Mo Yan blurted out.
"You're the one who's dead! Think before you speak. Don't let that mouth of yours get you killed someday," Wang Linchi retorted.
Mo Yan was good in every other aspect, but he just couldn't control his mouth. It was fine if he was just shooting the breeze with him, but after graduation, when he started working, if he offended some Battle-type Awakener because of that mouth, he could be killed, and no one would care.
Battle-type Awakeners were stronger than them and also possessed special privileges. Furthermore, if Mo Yan had initiated the offense, the punishment would most likely be perfunctory and dismissed lightly.
"Hmph, you think I don't know that? We're all buddies here, aren't we?" Mo Yan said, looking completely unconcerned.
Wang Linchi didn't continue to persuade him. From the other's attitude, it was clear he hadn't taken it to heart at all.
Persuading him at this moment wouldn't work; he wouldn't listen. Perhaps only when he encountered trouble himself would he understand. But whether he would still have a chance to regret it by then, Wang Linchi didn't know.
"Alright, what's up? If there's nothing, I'm going to read," Wang Linchi said.
"Reading, reading, always reading. What's the use of it anyway?"
"Oh, by the way, I spent some money. Tomorrow, I'm going with a senior student to the black market to check things out. Want to come? It's only five hundred thousand," Mo Yan said secretively.
Five hundred thousand was a huge sum, but Mo Yan wasn't like Wang Linchi, whose household register consisted of a single page. He was a bona fide city dweller. For a Black Iron Level Battle Awakener to take him there, he probably pulled some strings. Otherwise, who would be willing? After all, Black Iron Level Awakeners could acquire Excellent Level Soul Seeds on their own; why would they need his five hundred thousand? Besides, they'd have to protect him in the black market. Without some connection, who would do it?
As for why his original family didn't have any Awakeners, it was simple. Perhaps there was an Awakener in his ancestry, but the line was broken by his parents' or grandparents' generation. As long as no Awakener appeared in the new generation, all Transcendent assets would be confiscated by the Court. A one percent awakening rate is high for the overall population, but for an individual, it truly came down to luck.
Just like Wang Linchi's Rainbow Light Soul Seed Series, it likely wasn't from his parents but was passed down from an even earlier generation.
And money, coincidentally, wasn't a Transcendent asset, so it would be left behind. Therefore, while five hundred thousand was a huge sum in the eyes of ordinary people, it might genuinely not be much to Mo Yan's family.
Wang Linchi shook his head and refused, "No, the black market is too dangerous. I won't go take that risk."
He knew Mo Yan's Soul Resemblance hadn't been embedded with a Soul Seed yet. The other party wanted to use this opportunity to obtain a battle-type Soul Seed and switch his major to the combat specialization. He hadn't had the chance before; now that one had appeared, he definitely had to seize it.