Starting Unlimited Evolution from Grinding

Chapter 328: I Can’t Be Niu Feini

The match between the Ross Kingdom and the Imperial First Academy was indeed quite spectacular.

However, the outcome was as unsurprising as everyone had anticipated.

They secured victory with just one instructor taking the field. Among the students, Shirleyas and Noren were practically spectators from start to finish. Apart from Noren occasionally casting a simple spell, they barely lifted a finger.

This left several academies hoping to scout their opponents somewhat disappointed. At the same time, they gained a clearer understanding of just how formidable the Imperial First Academy's strength was.

"This year's champion seems to be a foregone conclusion..."

In the previous tournament, although the Imperial First Academy also won the championship, that competition wasn't a one-sided crushing defeat; it was full of suspense.

In the final match, the Imperial First Academy side was left with only one instructor and one student, all others having been injured and forced to leave the stage. It could be said they won a pyrrhic victory.

The tournament before that, they even lost the championship, only managing to secure second place.

But this time, the Imperial First Academy is terrifyingly strong...

The most important reason for this is that pair of master and servant who look utterly unapproachable. The existence of these two directly broke the balance of this Academy Grand Competition.

Of course, the strength of the other students from the Imperial First Academy is also noticeably stronger than the previous tournament's batch.

"It seems the finals won't be easy to win..."

The supervisor of the Imperial Second Academy shook his head and sighed.

However, he soon stopped worrying about that problem because it seemed they wouldn't even make it to the finals...

After the second round of matches concluded, they also drew lots for tomorrow's semifinal matchups.

And the result...

The first match tomorrow: Imperial First Academy versus Imperial Second Academy?

The hearts of everyone from the Imperial Second Academy, which had been hanging in suspense, immediately plummeted. Well, no need to consider anything about finals now; they were about to become the stinky quarterfinalists.

As for the Doria Academy side, after Lin Mo took action, they no longer held back, thus winning the second round of the elimination matches relatively easily.

Tomorrow's opponent was also a large kingdom, and one among the weaker ones left in the competition. It could be said their luck was quite good.

In the evening, after returning to their lodgings, Lin Mo meditated as usual for a while. After about half an hour, he opened his eyes.

"Through meditation, acquired basic attribute Mana +1!"

The efficiency of meditation was increasing. The speed at which he acquired Mana also seemed to be becoming more frequent. And...

"Leveled up again."

Lin Mo looked at the message before his eyes.

"Skill [Primary Meditation Technique] Lv5 (180/180) leveled up!"

"Current skill [Primary Meditation Technique] Lv6 (2/300)"

Unconsciously, this skill had already reached level 6, only one level away from evolution.

Before it devolved, Lin Mo would master the purple Epic Level "Meditation" skill. By that time, the speed of increasing Mana would also become slower.

Next, it was time to continue expanding the Portable Space.

Over the past few days, this had become Lin Mo's "daily quest."

During the day while spectating matches from below, if the match on stage was unimportant, he would also calm his mind and focus on tinkering with his space.

Now, the size of the Portable Space had been expanded by him to 4×10×10, a full 400 cubic meters. This skill's level had also already risen to level 4.

A height of 4 meters was actually pretty good; many residential buildings aren't even 4 meters tall. But Lin Mo still felt a 4-meter height didn't look bright and airy enough. If decorated in the future, with luxurious large chandeliers hung, it would feel cramped. So he planned to continue widening the height to 6 meters first, and then continue expanding the length and width.

An area of 100 square meters was a bit too small... it would feel very narrow to live in.

He should at least expand it to 300 square meters first.

After busying himself for quite a while, he calculated the time was about right. Lin Mo opened his eyes and, sure enough, saw Finnie sneaking up close to him, ready to secretly "do something naughty."

This pure and cute little girl had unconsciously turned into quite the bold one.

Caught red-handed by Lin Mo, Finnie's face immediately flushed red, revealing an expression of shyness and guilt. "Mr. Lin Mo... I... I was just bringing you a fruit platter."

As she spoke, she pulled a fruit platter from her storage ring.

Wow, she even came prepared in advance?

Lin Mo looked at her with a half-smile, not saying anything, just extending one hand.

Finnie hesitated for two or three seconds, put down the fruit platter, obediently rested her chin on Lin Mo's palm, and let him rub and squeeze her cheeks.

Perhaps because she had been eating a bit too much street food lately, Finnie's face had gained a little weight, becoming slightly rounder. It actually made her look cuter, and her cheeks felt even better to pinch.

It was time to work up a sweat again...

The next day, the morning glow gradually appeared, dyeing the sky with a golden-red hue.

Today was the final day of the Academy Grand Competition.

Early in the morning, the many spectators got up early, came to the venue, and chattered excitedly.

It wasn't until Sherfilia pushed him to walk outside that Lin Mo fully woke up, recalling in his mind the scene just moments ago of being dressed and fed by her.

If this continued, he would be completely spoiled by the little maid.

He had to pull himself together... at the very least, he had to eat his own meals tomorrow!

Lin Mo clenched his fist, his resolve unwavering.

Entering the semifinals, the intensity of the matches clearly escalated another notch compared to yesterday.

The weaker large kingdoms had already been eliminated. Those remaining, even their upcoming opponent, currently the weakest large kingdom among them, were all survivors who had fought their way through the previous matches.

But when the members of the Doria Kingdom Academy stepped onto the stage, they weren't very nervous anymore.

Especially those students who hadn't even reached level 10. At this point in the competition, victory or defeat had nothing to do with them anyway. It wasn't their turn to fight. Hiding in the back and cheering, then promptly getting injured and rolling off stage when it was time was enough.

The pain wouldn't last long anyway, at most half a minute before the Empire's Priests would heal them.

The process of the match could only be described as not very suspenseful.

Ellie and Lin Mo basically cut through the opposing side on their own.

However, the next few matches were all quite spectacular.

Both sides could be said to be evenly matched, fighting fiercely. Even the final direct clash between the two Imperial academies was quite interesting to watch.

The Imperial Second Academy's strength was no joke; they also had a Transcendent Level instructor anchoring their team. Therefore, Shirleyas finally made her move.

Her profession was the same as Sherfilia's: Assassin.

However, the weapon Shirleyas used was rather special for an Assassin. It wasn't a dagger or a short knife, but a sword.

And dual swords at that.

Her swordsmanship was excellent, perfectly combining Assassin skills with the medium-range weapon that is a sword. Her fighting style incorporated both the speed and risk of an Assassin, along with a touch of the bravery and ferocity of a Warrior.

Despite being very young, similar in age to Sherfilia, when facing an experienced Transcendent Level instructor, she surpassed her opponent in combat skill, making up for her slightly weaker raw power.

With their strongest instructor pinned down by Shirleyas, the rest were naturally no cause for concern. In the end, the Imperial First Academy only fielded three instructors and successfully defeated the Imperial Second Academy, which most people had tacitly considered the runner-up.

"That was truly spectacular..."

"The Oxivis Family truly lives up to being the Violet Empire's only Royal Duke Family. Their accumulated heritage is indeed profound. That Miss Noren has exceptional natural talent. Coupled with her powerful background providing endless resources, when the Adventurers' Association releases the new edition of the Continent's Genius Roster, Miss Noren should at least make the top five!"

"Probably. His Highness Prince Barnes, the Crown Prince of the Stellar Moon Empire; Young Master Gillian, heir to the Coman Trading Company of the Dernia Empire; plus His Eminence Adam, the quasi-Saint of the Church... the rest probably can't surpass her. Making the top five shouldn't be difficult."

"Top five is achievable, but to say no one can surpass her, I'm not so sure..."

"You're right!"

Another person nearby immediately realized. "Right here in this Academy Grand Competition venue, isn't there a genius who might not lose to this Miss Noren?"

"You mean that one from the Doria Kingdom?"

"Exactly! Coming from a small kingdom, he already has the strength to defeat a level 20 instructor. If he were given sufficient resources..."

"Hiss—"

Thinking of this, the group of old men chatting together couldn't help but suck in a sharp breath of cold air.

"Currently, there's still too little information about Lin Mo. Better not jump to conclusions. Maybe he was just lucky, had some earth-shattering encounter? Of course, even if that's the case, he's definitely a top-tier genius, enough to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the ones mentioned earlier."

"No matter, we'll find out soon, won't we? The semifinals are about to start. Only four teams remain now: the Imperial First Academy, and the Garshi Kingdom. Both these academies have Transcendent Level experts anchoring them. As long as the Doria Kingdom faces either of them..."

Just as they were speaking, on the arena stage, the draw results for the next round were also announced.

"Imperial First Academy, versus Garshi Kingdom National Academy!"

"Rod Kingdom National Academy, versus Doria Kingdom National Academy!"

???

The few old men present were instantly covered in question marks.

"No way? They dodged it again?"

Among the elimination rounds, there were four academies with Transcendent Level experts anchoring them. Logically, fighting through the rounds, they would likely encounter one of them in the quarterfinals or semifinals. It was one thing that the Doria Academy hadn't run into any so far, but now they were already in the semifinals, about to decide the finalist spots, and they managed to dodge it again?

Of course, from another perspective, their opponent, the Rod Kingdom National Academy, was equally lucky.

So both sides were now popping champagne.

"Is the Doria Kingdom going to make it to the finals?"

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone's first reaction was absurdity. But upon careful thought, it seemed it really was the case.

The Rod Kingdom Academy, as a top-tier large kingdom academy, was certainly not weak. But how much stronger could they be than the previous ones?

After several rounds of elimination matches, no one doubted the strength of the Doria Kingdom Academy anymore... or more accurately, no one doubted Lin Mo's strength anymore.

Some busybodies had even made up a catchy phrase for him: "Below Transcendent, I am invincible; against Transcendent, I trade one for one."

Many felt that with his strength, even if he encountered a genuine Transcendent Level expert, he could definitely put up a fight. He might not win, but even if he lost, the opponent would likely only manage a narrow victory.

Barring any surprises, this Doria Kingdom Academy really was going to make it to the finals.

"A small kingdom, one day actually breaking into the finals of the Academy Grand Competition... If someone had said such a thing a few days ago, they'd probably have been dismissed as a drunk, loose-lipped Bard."

But now, it was about to become a fact happening right before their eyes.

"I wonder how they'll perform in the finals? Can they do better than the Imperial Second Academy?"

"That's too difficult, isn't it? No matter how strong Lin Mo is, at best he can only spar a bit with a Transcendent Level. The Imperial Second Academy had a genuine, experienced Transcendent Level instructor, and they still lost, completely failing to force the Imperial First Academy to go all out."

"True. Just forcing that maid lady from the Oxivis Family, the one born out of wedlock, to make a move would count as success..."

..........

"We're in, we're really going in!"

At this moment, in the Doria Kingdom Academy's rest area, Elvish was crying like a child, tears streaming down his aged face.

For this Grand Competition, their original plan was just to escape the bottom ranks, aiming for a mid-table position in the group stage, which would have been considered remarkable progress.

Later, with Lin Mo and Ellie joining, they began to hope for a top-ten ranking, even making it to the elimination rounds.

The day they actually made it to the elimination rounds, Elvish already felt he could die without regrets. Who knew the subsequent developments would completely exceed his expectations?

Dominantly defeating the Lonia Kingdom Academy, then with a combination of luck and strength, advancing triumphantly all the way, directly fighting into the semifinals.

Now the semifinal draw gave them a favorable matchup, almost guaranteeing a ticket to the finals...

This was the finals of the Academy Grand Competition!

In previous years, forget about them, even many large kingdoms wouldn't dare dream of it.

"Teacher, please mind your health."

Flora comforted his emotions. Although not as excited as Elvish, she also felt immensely emotional in her heart.

Back then, she went to Roland Town to investigate a student's death and unexpectedly encountered such a miraculous youth, to the extent that the trajectory of her own life had undergone such a huge change.

Turning her head to look at Lin Mo, who remained calm as ever, seemingly pondering something, Flora's gaze seemed to grow somewhat dazed.

He was too dazzling, too perfect.

Apart from having a bit too much luck with romance, he had almost no flaws.

But how could such a nearly perfect person not be attractive?

Not to mention those young maidens, even if...

Flora placed a hand on her chest, feeling her unsteady heartbeat, her inner struggle immense.

Then she took a deep breath and shook her head bitterly.

No, I can't.

I mustn't... at the very least, I shouldn't...

Finnie was like a little sister to her. She absolutely could not do anything that would hurt Finnie.

"Teacher Flora, time to prepare to go on stage."

Milun, seeing her seemingly lost in thought, reminded her from the side.

"Mm, alright."

Flora snapped back to reality and followed the team.

The two semifinal matches, although due to the draw allowed one of the weaker teams to slip into the finals, from another angle, also increased the spectacle of the semifinals, providing at least some points of interest.

Therefore, the audience's enthusiasm continued to soar.

In the afternoon, Lin Mo walked off the stage with a relaxed expression. Seeming to notice something, he turned his head to look at the independent rest area right next to the arena.

There, Noren stood with her arms crossed, looking at him with a face full of "provocation."

The finals were about to begin...