Through the Chip's detection, Leilin gained some understanding of Jiamen's strength.
Leilin himself was considered quite capable in terms of combat power among Second-rank Apprentices. As long as the other party didn't possess a Magical Item, he had a very good chance of winning.
Jiamen had a Magical Item, but was still slightly weaker than him, which meant his combat power was a notch below Leilin's. He had some combat experience, but not a great deal.
Of course, these were only rough estimates from the Chip. Actual combat would depend on many factors.
"Long time no see! Jiamen!" Leilin greeted him.
Jiamen naturally had no idea that his background had been thoroughly probed by Leilin in an instant. He shook out his robe and sat down beside Leilin.
He raised his head, revealing a pale face, and basked in the sunlight.
"Haven't gotten any sun in ages! Ever since I started following my mentor, it's been meditation, experiments, studying... over and over on repeat!"
Jiamen stretched comfortably with a satisfied sigh.
"I heard you've been doing quite well under Guofate!" Jiamen suddenly asked.
"I can just barely prepare some potions, enough to trade for resources!" Leilin replied modestly.
"But recently you went on a mission with Kreweir and the others. Are you planning to fully commit to their group?" Jiamen suddenly said with a smile, though a cold gleam seemed to flash in his eyes.
Leilin was somewhat speechless. He hadn't expected that the circle rivalries from childhood cliques to still be going on, even though he had completely forgotten that he himself was only a fourteen-year-old kid.
"They're all acquaintances — I ran into them by chance and we took on a mission together. It's as simple as that!" Although Leilin wasn't afraid of Jiamen, he still wanted to avoid trouble if he could.
Jiamen stared at Leilin several times. The Chip even flagged traces of a spell scanning his brainwaves — it seemed Jiamen had actually used magic to verify the truth.
After who knows how long, a bright smile bloomed on Jiamen's face.
"I think highly of you! Sharp! Cautious! Associating with Kreweir and his crowd will only drag you down. Only by joining a higher circle can you obtain resources, glory, even your life!"
Jiamen stood up, and only his faint voice lingered: "Here's a piece of advice — leave the Academy as soon as you can!"
"What? Can you be more specific?" Leilin's heart tightened. He felt he had almost grasped something and quickly pressed for more.
But Jiamen simply smiled and walked away without looking back.
Once Jiamen's silhouette had completely disappeared, Leilin finally sat back down, feeling somewhat speechless.
"Acting mysterious, associating with big shots, gathering subordinates? Is that really his thing? Does he think he's the protagonist of some novel?"
"But still — Jiamen had fifth-grade aptitude and was a core seed with the potential to advance to
……
The dim room was poorly lit, the firelight faint, the air thick with a sensual scent.
A woman's moans and a man's low, heavy breathing blended together endlessly.
After the climax, the woman lay in the man's arms like a puddle of mush.
"You're incredible! Just like a lion!" Ni Lan said, her eyes glazed with pleasure.
Leilin stroked Ni Lan's smooth back, silent.
He had encountered a great many things today and desperately needed to vent, so naturally he had sought out Ni Lan.
During his time here, he had already gotten involved with her. Views on sex in this world were quite open — many people lost their virginity at eleven or twelve. Leilin and Ni Lan both had their needs, and within days they had ended up in bed together.
Ni Lan was hardly a virgin to begin with, and his predecessor hadn't been any better either. They could enjoy each other sexually — being friends with benefits was perfectly fine.
With the Chip keeping control, he would absolutely not leave behind any offspring, so he could play to his heart's content.
Thinking of this, Leilin felt himself begin to stir again.
"Oh!" Ni Lan let out a soft cry and was about to climb on top of Leilin once more, but he stopped her. A wicked smile played at the corners of his lips as he pressed her head downward.
Ni Lan shot him a glare, but a seductive smile lingered at the corner of her mouth as she slipped beneath the covers.
Leilin let out a sigh of contentment, leaning back against the wall with both hands cupping a pair of full, heaving curves that yielded like sponge beneath his touch.
A good while later, Ni Lan finally got up and walked naked to the washroom on one side.
Listening to the gorgeous woman humming a little tune while bathing, Leilin began to think about the events of the day.
"There's no need to worry about what's happening with Niss. Jiamen's warning came abruptly, but it has to be taken seriously. There's a very high chance it's connected to the anomalies outside the Academy. From here on, I need to investigate the whereabouts of the other five-grade aptitude apprentices."
The Academy would certainly not abandon these seeds that had a strong chance of advancing to Wizard rank. If the Academy was still safe, they would stay here — but if they all left under various pretexts, it meant the Academy would definitely be riddled with danger in the time to come!!!
"Heilongsi is out on a sweep because of Perry's affair. Once he finishes clearing things up, that will be the perfect opportunity!" A sharp gleam flashed in Leilin's eyes.
"Honey, what are you thinking about?"
Ni Lan snuggled up against him once more, two soft mounds pressing against Leilin's right arm.
"Just considering a few things!" Leilin smiled. "Lately Lord Heilongsi has been causing quite a ruckus outside the Academy!"