Chapter 180: Eight Months, Rank 60!
The three council members clearly mistook Lin Mo's reaction for humility.
Committee Member Meng Shenji smiled and did not dwell on the matter. Instead, he asked, "Lin Mo, now that the exchange has ended, what are your plans for the future?"
Lin Mo thought for a moment before replying, "I intend to return to Dugu Manor and continue cultivating. The academy hasn't been very peaceful recently."
"Some time ago, someone attempted to infiltrate Heaven Dou Royal Academy, and their target was most likely me."
The expressions of Committee Member Meng Shenji and the others instantly turned grave.
They naturally knew about this matter.
A killer with the cultivation of a seven-ring Spirit Saint had infiltrated the academy.
Fortunately, Dugu Bo had been staying at Heaven Dou Royal Academy during this period and discovered the intruder in time.
After capturing the assassin, Dugu Bo used several methods to interrogate them. However, the killer was extremely tight-lipped and absolutely refused to reveal any information about the mastermind behind the attack.
Seeing that he could not extract anything useful, Dugu Bo simply killed the assassin.
Afterward, he openly hung the killer's corpse outside the gates of Heaven Dou Royal Academy as a warning to any other forces harboring similar intentions.
After this incident, the forces secretly coveting Lin Mo naturally learned that Dugu Bo was effectively stationed at Heaven Dou Royal Academy.
None of them dared send anyone else to their deaths.
Lin Mo continued, "If I remain at the academy, it would not only be irresponsible to myself, but could also bring danger to the other students."
"Staying by Senior Dugu's side is the safest choice."
Hearing this, Committee Member Meng Shenji let out a deep sigh.
He understood that Lin Mo was telling the truth.
With the talent and potential Lin Mo had displayed, countless people had long since set their sights on him.
On the surface, they might still fear the deterrence of the Heaven Dou Imperial Family and Dugu Bo and refrain from acting recklessly.
But in the shadows, they would absolutely seize any opportunity that presented itself.
"You are right."
Committee Member Meng Shenji nodded, helplessness evident in his tone.
"Staying beside Poison Douluo is indeed the safest choice."
"As for the academy, we will strengthen security. But for the time being, it would still be better for you to remain under Poison Douluo's protection."
Committee Member Bai Baoshan and Committee Member Zhi Lin also nodded slightly, agreeing with Meng Shenji's decision.
Afterward, Lin Mo, Dugu Yan, and Ye Lingling followed Dugu Bo out of the Education Committee and returned to Dugu Manor.
Dugu Manor.
After returning, Dugu Bo did not go back to his room to rest as usual.
Instead, he called the three youngsters into the courtyard.
He first looked at Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling, his expression serious.
"Yanyan, Lingling, neither of you can afford to slack off during the coming months."
"The Spirit Master Competition will officially begin in nine months, and neither of you is far from Rank 50."
Dugu Yan blinked.
"Grandfather, within nine months, Lingling and I should have no problem breaking through to Rank 50."
Ye Lingling also nodded gently in agreement.
Dugu Bo shook his head.
"It's not 'should.' It's 'must.'"
"You must seize every moment to cultivate and strive to reach Rank 50 before the Spirit Master Competition begins, then obtain your fifth spirit rings."
As he spoke, excitement suddenly appeared on Dugu Bo's face.
"If this old man remembers correctly, those three youngsters from Spirit Hall known as the Golden Generation, Hu Liena, Xie Yue, and Yan, are currently only at the Spirit King level."
"They're quite a bit older than the two of you. If you can also break through to Spirit King by then..."
The more Dugu Bo spoke, the happier he became.
"Wouldn't that mean this old man is one step ahead of Supreme Pontiff Bibi Dong when it comes to training young Spirit Masters?"
He could not help laughing aloud, clearly extremely satisfied with that thought.
Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling exchanged glances, both feeling somewhat amused and helpless.
Their grandfather's competitive spirit really could appear anytime and anywhere.
Lin Mo stood to the side without interrupting.
He quietly listened to Dugu Bo's instructions while calculating his own cultivation progress.
His current spirit power was Rank 57.
There were still three ranks separating him from Rank 60.
In the eyes of the vast majority of Spirit Masters, increasing one's spirit power by three full ranks in only nine months would be almost impossible.
That was precisely why Dugu Bo had not urged Lin Mo to cultivate harder.
But Lin Mo knew that his own situation was different.
Ever since he and Charizard had each condensed a Spirit Power Vortex within their bodies, both of their cultivation speeds had increased significantly.
For him, gaining three ranks in nine months was no longer particularly difficult.
He was confident that before the Spirit Master Competition officially began, he could raise his spirit power to Rank 60 and become a true Spirit Emperor.
In the days that followed, Lin Mo returned to his secluded lifestyle.
He stopped appearing in public and remained at Dugu Manor throughout the day.
Aside from necessary meals and rest, nearly all of his time was devoted to cultivation.
Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling also entered a period of arduous training.
Under Dugu Bo's urging, the two focused almost all their energy on cultivating spirit power.
Dugu Manor lacked no cultivation resources, and neither girl's talent was poor. As a result, their spirit power continued to rise at a steady pace.
The outside world was not surprised when Lin Mo secluded himself once again.
After the attempted assassination at Heaven Dou Royal Academy, everyone understood that cultivating under the protection of a Titled Douluo was the wisest possible choice for him.
Time passed day by day.
The seasons changed.
Autumn departed and winter arrived.
Winter ended, and spring came again.
Life inside Dugu Manor was monotonous, yet fulfilling.
Aside from cultivating spirit power, Lin Mo continued refining Myriad Changes, the third stage of Blood Burst, his self-created Spirit Skill derived from his Body Martial Soul.
After several months of refinement, his mastery of Myriad Changes became increasingly proficient.
By now, he could already flexibly alter various parts of his body and apply those transformations in actual combat.
Charizard's mastery of its newly acquired skills also improved day by day.
Meanwhile, Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling's spirit power steadily approached Rank 50.
Three months before the Spirit Master Competition began, Dugu Yan was the first to break through to Rank 50.
One month later, Ye Lingling also successfully reached Rank 49.
At this rate, it was almost certain that Ye Lingling would break through to Rank 50 and obtain her fifth spirit ring before the Spirit Master Competition began.
Dugu Bo was extremely satisfied.
He wore a smile almost every day, and even his attitude toward the servants in the manor became noticeably gentler.
There was no sense of time in the mountains.
When one completely immersed oneself in cultivation, the days always seemed to pass particularly quickly.
When Lin Mo awakened from his Deep Calm Mind session, sunlight from outside the window happened to fall into the room.
He slowly opened his eyes.
Feeling the spirit power within his body, which had once again grown more robust, a smile gradually appeared at the corner of his mouth.
Rank 60!
After eight months of arduous cultivation, he had finally completed the final three ranks of spirit power advancement.
Lin Mo stood up, walked to the window, and pushed it open.
The trees in the courtyard were already lush with leaves.
A wave of summer heat blew toward him, carrying the fresh scent of grass and trees.
Lin Mo calculated the time.
Exactly eight months had passed since the exchange with the Four Element Academies ended.
The Spirit Master Competition would officially begin in one month.