The Principal didn’t return until two months after spring began. He appeared exhausted, his aura somewhat unsteady. His hand was also bandaged, but he seemed to be in a good mood.
When Wang Linchi went to see the Principal, there was a new secretary. Unlike her arrogant predecessor, this one was quite understanding and showed no dissatisfaction towards him.
She maintained a professional demeanor; she should be able to remain in the Principal’s service for a good while.
"I was conscripted to solve a problem in a Secret Realm to the south. I almost didn’t make it back, but luckily the issue was resolved just in time." The Principal motioned for Wang Linchi to sit down and asked the secretary to make tea before he continued.
After pouring the tea, the secretary wisely left, not staying to eavesdrop on their conversation.
"Even Elite Gold Level experts were conscripted?!" Wang Linchi was somewhat surprised.
"No, only those at the Elite Gold Level were qualified. It was a gigantic Secret Realm, and the minimum entry requirement was Elite Gold Level. Anyone below that wasn’t eligible to enter," the Principal calmly explained, sipping his tea.
"Anyway, let’s not talk about this. I heard you were looking for me towards the end of last year. You must have been waiting for quite some time," the Principal consoled, then subtly hinted that he had dealt with the previous, unperceptive secretary.
Wang Linchi pretended not to understand, as it was unnecessary to get involved in such matters.
Firstly, it had nothing to do with him; the previous secretary’s cold attitude hadn’t affected him. Secondly, meddling could lead to trouble.
"Principal, the derivative Soul Skill for Soul Seed Boiling has been successfully developed. In its current state, if combined with Soul Seed Burning, it can reduce the side effects of third-generation Soul Seed Boiling by half. However, this Soul Skill can only be applied to Soul Seed Fractures caused by Soul Seed Boiling, not to Soul Seed Injuries from other causes."
"Furthermore, if a Soul Seed is completely destroyed, it cannot be restored."
Wang Linchi explained, handing a Soul Skill named ’Soul Seed Cooling’ to the Principal.
Upon receiving it, the Principal neither questioned nor showed dissatisfaction but read it through before conducting a test.
A few minutes later, he said, "Very good, this Soul Skill is timely indeed. Your Level 4 subsidy will be approved in three days."
"Thank you for your guidance, Principal."
"I do have a rather presumptuous request..."
Wang Linchi frankly expressed his desire for more resources and treasures or Natural Treasures that could help him break through the White Porcelain level Mental Power Capacity Limit.
Upon hearing this, the Principal smiled. "You’re quite greedy, just like Yan Ming King."
The Principal was obviously jesting when he said this.
Everyone knew the Principal’s daughter was with Yan Ming King. The stronger Yan Ming King became, the greater the returns his initial investment would yield.
Wang Linchi wasn’t sure if the returns were truly large, but he suspected the Principal hadn’t benefited much personally; otherwise, he wouldn’t have been conscripted to risk his life in a Secret Realm.
"Not at all, not at all. My old classmate is a peerless talent; how could I possibly compare to him?" Wang Linchi hinted at their connection.
"Oh? You two are classmates?" The Principal seemed mildly surprised.
"We even shared the same desk. However, since I couldn’t awaken a Battle Class Soul, we eventually parted ways. The Soul Forging Method I use was actually a gift from him," Wang Linchi skillfully rephrased parts of his story.
The Principal understood immediately. No wonder Yan Ming King had mentioned Wang Linchi when he first went to the Yingzhou Prefecture. So, there was this connection.
With his connection to Yan Ming King and his service to the academy, Wang Linchi could be considered one of his own trusted subordinates.
Unfortunately, it was only a general-type Soul Resemblance; otherwise, he would have definitely invested heavily in his development.
"’Little Yan’ is indeed a righteous person," the Principal said, stroking his chin. Now that he considered Yan Ming King one of his own, he even referred to him as ’Little Yan.’
"Yes, yes, indeed." Wang Linchi was well aware of the relationship between the Principal and Yan Ming King. The Principal was Yan Ming King’s early benefactor and mentor, even betrothing his daughter to him.
"With your accomplishments, you qualify for the Prefecture’s Level 4 subsidy. It would indeed be improper if the academy didn’t offer some form of recognition," the Principal directly conceded.
Wang Linchi hadn’t expected it to be so easy.
But on reflection, it made sense. The Principal was using the academy’s resources to cultivate his own connections, at no personal cost or effort.
He wasn’t just handing out favors because he understood the saying, ’A dipper of rice is kindness, a picul of rice is enmity’—meaning too much unearned generosity can breed resentment.
Of course, it was also possible the Principal simply felt Wang Linchi lacked the potential for significant growth. Despite his research achievements, he couldn’t fight and therefore would never amount to much. Googlᴇ search ɴovᴇl_Firᴇ.ɴet
"It’s all thanks to your guidance, Principal. Without it, I wouldn’t have had the platform to showcase my abilities," Wang Linchi praised without hesitation.
"Mm, not arrogant, not impatient. Very good."
"However, the subsidies top out at Level 4. Applying for the highest, Level 5, subsidy is likely impossible. I can give you the inside scoop on this."
"A Level 5 subsidy requires personal approval from the Domain Master, and the Excellent Level Soul Seeds are replaced with ten Epic Level Soul Seeds."
The Principal was implying that Level 4 was Wang Linchi’s ceiling for subsidies and he shouldn’t aim higher. Even with his contributions, Qinghe Academy couldn’t bear the cost of a Level 5 subsidy for him.
Epic Level Soul Seeds involved interests far too great, so large that even he, the Principal, dared not intervene.
The likely outcome would be Wang Linchi being turned into a puppet, his annual subsidies ’claimed on his behalf’ by certain influential figures in the domain.
Qinghe Academy could offer an Epic Level Soul Seed as a reward for the Three-City League only because it was jointly funded by Qinghe City, Quanchang City, and Fuan City.
"I understand, I understand. I wouldn’t dare to hope for a Level 5 subsidy," Wang Linchi said hurriedly, though he felt a pang of disappointment. From the Principal’s words, he could confirm that the Soul Seeds in the Level 4 subsidy were still Excellent Level Soul Seeds.
"Alright, I’ll approve this for you. Take this slip to the academy logistics to receive your resources."
"You’ve worked hard during this time. You’re still at the White Porcelain level; try to break through to the Black Iron Level as soon as possible."
This was the Principal’s way of showing him out.
Wang Linchi took the slip and left; he understood the dismissal.
Wang Linchi was now a third-year student. Among his peers, a few had already broken through to the Black Iron Level. Most were at the peak of the White Porcelain level, just shy of reaching Black Iron Level. Only some who weren’t trying hard enough were still stuck in the late White Porcelain level.
As for the geniuses, they had mostly graduated early, with many heading to the Yingzhou Prefecture or returning to their clans to help.
Only a very small number remained at the academy, preparing to graduate normally.
It could be said that the capable ones had all left early, while the average students were slowly grinding their way through. This was the norm at the academy.
The reason was simple: early graduates were no longer exploited by the academy and didn’t have to surrender everything they obtained from Secret Realms. This, however, didn’t affect Wang Linchi, as he couldn’t enter Secret Realms anyway.