Starting Unlimited Evolution from Grinding

Chapter 317: Awakening a Bloodline and Wrecking My House?

In the courtyard, frigid air and fire elemental mana intertwined and coiled. The two energies, which should have been in conflict, under Lin Mo's exquisite control, instead complemented each other, transforming into a dense "energy net" that enveloped Ellie.

Lin Mo stood before her, beads of sweat glistening on his forehead. The warm fire elemental mana still lingered in his palms as he precisely controlled the output rhythm, bit by bit seeping into Ellie's body, helping her dissipate the effects brought by the intense chill aura and maintain her vital signs.

He could not make a mistake. Otherwise, even though Ellie possessed the Ice Wolf Clan bloodline, if this energy was allowed to "rampage" before her bloodline had recovered to a sufficient degree, the chill contained within the Mist Crystal Flower could very likely plunge Ellie into a highly dangerous situation.

The fundamental reason it was so difficult was essentially because Ellie's strength was still somewhat lacking.

Normally, it would be best to wait a bit longer. Once she reached Level 15 or above, things would be much easier.

But that would still require a not-so-short amount of time. Whether considering Ellie's own wishes or taking into account the upcoming Academy Grand Competition, there was no time to wait.

"I believe in Lin Mo, and I also want to become stronger sooner, so..."

Recalling the words Ellie said when she made the decision a few days ago, Lin Mo's mana flow became even more steady and cautious.

Ellie's trust was not a momentary impulse, nor was it some infatuated delusion; it stemmed from her consistent understanding of Lin Mo.

And the facts proved she was right.Before this, Lin Mo had also conducted extremely meticulous calculations regarding the energy contained within the "Mist Crystal Flower," his own total mana capacity, and his control.

If he didn't have near-perfect certainty, he wouldn't have chosen to let Ellie take the risk.

The girl sat cross-legged, eyes tightly shut. The ice elements around her were like a biting storm. Even Flora's barrier was faintly beginning to flicker, on the verge of shattering at any moment.

Flora hurriedly replenished her mana, continuing to maintain the barrier's operation.

The entire courtyard had transformed into a world of ice and snow!

Lin Mo sat amidst the ice and snow, layers of frost also condensing on his body, yet his figure remained motionless.

In the midst of such a violent surge of ice elements, as the center of the "vortex," Ellie's expression was surprisingly calm at this moment.

She could feel that icy power raging within her body, yet under the gentle warmth enveloping her, she didn't feel the slightest bit uncomfortable. Instead, it felt like soaking in a hot spring... very comfortable...

The bloodline within her was stirred by the energy of the "Mist Crystal Flower," rushing wildly.

In that repeated "washing," Ellie could clearly feel something being awakened within her body.

"Remain calm, focus your spirit to guide that power..."

Lin Mo's voice was steady and gentle, cutting through the chaotic energy around them and reaching Ellie's ears.

Ellie's originally somewhat restless heart immediately calmed down. She took a deep breath, and the bloodline that had awakened like a beast slumbering for too long, thus somewhat violent, also gradually settled.

That brand-new power was integrating into every part of her limbs and bones!

Normally, during this process, Ellie's originally more "human" aspect would gradually shift towards the "beast" aspect, just like when she was in the Silent Forest before.

This was unavoidable for all Half-Orcs. When the bloodline slumbers, they resemble humans more; the more the bloodline recovers, the more they resemble true Orcs.

But under Lin Mo's influence, it seemed not to be so...

Every time fur started to grow on her body, a deep, warm current would wash over her body, turning her back to her original form.

This warm current was not the fire element currently warming her, but something else, something she felt somewhat familiar with yet couldn't immediately recall.

Ellie was a bit curious, so she tried to find the answer, until that subtle feeling overlapped with certain scenes from her memory, with certain scenes from last night...

So... it was actually like this?!

Because more "human" "power" had been poured into her, that "power" offset the "beast" aspect within her bloodline, leaving only the purest energy to be assimilated.

The reason she could revert to her original form after her bloodline recovered and fur grew during previous battles was probably also due to this reason.

And now, as that "beastly" nature within her bloodline was completely extinguished, in the future, even during battles, she wouldn't have to worry about turning into that appearance anymore.

But Ellie had never heard of such a thing before.

While those who partnered with Half-Orcs were indeed few, given the vastness of the world, there were always many cases. Yet, such a situation had never been heard of.

If the bloodline issue of Half-Orcs was so easily solved, they wouldn't have fallen to their current state.

Probably, Lin Mo's "power" was... special?

Ellie didn't continue thinking about it, because the power of the "Mist Crystal Flower," including the "bloodline power" it mobilized and its fusion with her own Qi and Blood, had entered the most critical stage.

A flash of ice-blue light suddenly lit up, its powerful impact shattering the ground of the entire courtyard.

Flora's face paled, the fiery-red barrier now covered in cracks.

Finnie raised her staff, a golden light flowing into Flora's body. Flora immediately breathed a sigh of relief, and the magic barrier slowly began to repair itself.

Now also having reached Level 11 and become an Elite Level Priest, Finnie's supportive abilities had risen by more than a notch compared to before.

"Lin Mo!"

However, before they could relax, they heard the voice of Eve, who had also come today, filled with worry from behind.

Looking up, they realized Lin Mo had been completely frozen solid.

Even so, his body hadn't moved an inch, still tightly gripping Ellie's wrist. The only hand not frozen still had fiery-red mana swirling within it, flowing into Ellie's body...

Ellie finally opened her eyes.

She felt unprecedentedly good, as if a long-accumulated old ailment had instantly healed, her complexion rosy.

And her aura was clearly much, much stronger than before... even reaching a level close to Flora's!

The Mist Crystal Flower, almost comparable to Epic Level materials, combined with the revived bloodline within her body, with the two forces intertwining, instantly caused her level to jump several grades, directly reaching Level 15!

But before she could feel happy, before she could share her joy, she saw Lin Mo, who had now turned into an "ice sculpture" before her.

Instantly, the expression on her face froze, quickly turning into panic.

"Lin..."

However, just as that panic was about to turn into self-blame, a mournful cry on the verge of escaping, the ice sculpture shattered.

Lin Mo let out a turbid breath, feeling like his very exhalation carried bits of ice.

Seeing Ellie's complicated, mixed expression, he couldn't help but laugh. "What, did you almost think you'd harmed me?"

Ellie, her eyes red, directly threw herself into his arms.

Lin Mo gently held the girl in his arms, comforting her. "Don't worry, I'm fine. That bit of ice element can't hurt me. I just couldn't afford to be distracted earlier; I had to focus entirely on ensuring your safety, so I temporarily didn't deal with it."

The others nearby also breathed sighs of relief; they had all been startled just now.

Sherfilia had almost rushed out from the protection of the barrier.

"How do you feel?"

Lin Mo gently rubbed Ellie's ears.

"Fantastic!"

Ellie wasn't the type of girl with a fragile heart. After confirming Lin Mo was okay, she immediately regained her spirit. "I feel like my strength has increased almost twofold!"

From Level 11 to Level 15, while not literally doubled, it wasn't far off.

"Thank you, Lin Mo!"

Without any hesitation, Ellie directly planted a kiss on Lin Mo's cheek.

Feeling it wasn't enough, she then stood on her toes and directly sealed Lin Mo's lips.

The faces of the onlookers instantly changed, turning both dark and red, each like a chameleon.

Eve turned around, appearing relatively calm on the surface, but her knuckles had long been clenched white by herself.

In just these few days, Ellie had broken through to Elite Level, and right before her eyes, in an extremely short time, directly obtained strength comparable to Teacher Flora...

The impact this had on her was simply too great.

This speed of growth, even in her dreams, she wouldn't dare imagine.

After a good while, Lin Mo finally managed to peel the enthusiastic Ellie off him, a look of helplessness on his face.

Ellie's face still wore a reluctant expression, slightly flushed, yet she didn't seem to feel awkward at all. Instead, she adopted the posture of a triumphant general returning from battle, looking at the others nearby.

The corner of Flora's mouth held a meaningful smile. Lena stared enviously at Lin Mo's lips. Sherfilia's eye twitched slightly. Finnie blinked, her face red, somewhat shy, yet also happy for Ellie's increased strength.

After all, the ones who initially accompanied her on adventures were Lin Mo and Ellie. To her, Ellie was also a very important companion.

"Alright, since the matter has concluded satisfactorily, next, we should have a good talk about the issue of you wrecking my house..."

Flora suddenly said coolly from the side.

Lin Mo turned to look and only then discovered that the originally clean and tidy courtyard was now a complete mess. The ground was completely shattered, thick frost still hadn't receded, even the walls of the rooms were full of cracks, the windows had long since shattered into pieces, and the entire living room was in complete disarray. He couldn't help but scratch his head awkwardly. "Really sorry about that. Should we help you tidy up?"

Though it didn't seem like a problem that could be solved by just tidying up.

"Forget it, someone will come to deal with it later. Just perform well in this Academy Grand Competition."

Flora rolled her eyes. It felt less like blame and more like a coquettish complaint, making Lin Mo's heart flutter.

"Let's go. We're heading to the Violet Empire soon anyway. Let's grab a meal at the cafeteria first..."

"Alright, my treat."

"Nonsense, of course it's your treat!"

Flora reached out a finger and poked his chest. "Also, you two go change your clothes quickly."

Lin Mo looked down. His clothes were already tattered, reduced to strips.

Ellie was in much better shape, as she had his protection the whole time, but she also looked somewhat disheveled and needed to clean up.

Lin Mo quickly returned to his room, Sherfilia following closely behind. It was time for her to work again.

Soon, Lin Mo, now wearing a fresh set of clothes, walked out of the room. Ellie was also ready on her side.

Everyone arrived at the academy cafeteria together. With Flora leading, of course they went to the faculty cafeteria.

Flora wouldn't be polite this time, directly ordering all the good dishes the cafeteria had to offer. Although, as an academy cafeteria, the scale wouldn't be extravagant, it still cost over a hundred Gold Coins.

But now, this amount of money was nothing to Lin Mo.

While they were eating, a familiar figure suddenly appeared in their line of sight. Turning to look, it was actually Amy, the Water Element class instructor.

"Flora, and... and Lin Mo, you're here too."

Amy waved at them. When she saw Lin Mo, her gaze wasn't as "crazy" as before.

Ever since that sparring session, she had kept a respectful distance from Lin Mo.

This kind of man could be admired from afar but not played with. Otherwise, when he got the urge and said he wanted to fight you, he'd definitely beat you until your back ached and your legs went weak.

You'd happily change into a pretty little dress for the appointment, ask when to start, and he'd come at you with magic right in your face...

Well, in the end, your back did ache and your legs did go weak.

But was that the same thing?!

The time was still early, only around ten in the morning, not normally mealtime.

The reason for being here at this time went without saying.

"Instructor Amy, are you also participating in the Academy Grand Competition?"

"Of course..."

Amy shrugged helplessly. "I don't like fighting, but there aren't many instructors under 30 in the academy anyway. The Dean insisted I participate."

After chatting briefly, they each continued their meals.

Around eleven o'clock, Lin Mo once again arrived at the seemingly plain building behind the Royal National Academy's administration building.

Along the way, he also saw some students and instructors heading in the same direction, including two or three instructors who had sparred with Lin Mo before, as well as Flora's student, Eve's friend Milun.

Arriving at the basement, the number of people gathered here wasn't large. After all, within the academy, those qualified to participate in the Grand Competition, whether instructors or students, weren't many.

All instructors under 30 were participating, numbering only five. As for students... only those who had reached at least Level 8 were qualified to compete.

Those with lower strength were useless to send; they'd purely be background decoration.

So the number of students was also very small. Across all the academies combined, there were fewer than ten.

And that included Lin Mo's group of four. (Lena didn't count.)

No wonder they hadn't even made it into the elimination rounds before.

By the way, because the entire academy was on holiday these past few days, although not participating, Lena was also coming along this time to watch the matches and cheer them on.

Lin Mo looked around. Including students like Milun and instructors like Amy, their faces clearly showed little fighting spirit.

After all, in their view, going to participate in this competition was purely a formality, with no possibility of achieving any results.

But the expressions of the other few were different.

Flora wore confidence. Ellie was full of fighting spirit. Finnie and Sherfilia were also filled with confidence.

Flora's gaze fell upon Lin Mo and Ellie, her eyes shining brightly.

Just wait. This time, they were going to make history, breaking into the elimination rounds of the Academy Grand Competition for the first time!