Hum—
The teleportation light faded, and her feet finally touched the solid ground of the real world.
Lin Qingyue steadied her younger sister, Lin Xiyue, as both of them swayed uncontrollably. The dizziness from the spatial shift—teleporting directly out of the completely purified Dungeon—hadn't fully subsided.
The oversaturated, fresh air of the Dungeon was gone.
In its place was the scorching heat of Yicheng City's Combat Readiness Plaza, thick with the smell of sweat, dust, and hormones.
Lin Qingyue instinctively sniffed, and her delicate, pretty face instantly scrunched up like a steamed bun.
Three days without a shower.
She felt like every breath she exhaled carried a faint, sour stench.
"Sis, we're out," Lin Xiyue's voice sounded beside her as she quickly supported her seemingly "weak" older sister.
In reality, Lin Qingyue was just too lazy to stand up straight.
Three days and three nights of fighting in the Dungeon... Can't I slack off for a bit? Cue the music, cue the... ahem!
At the plaza's exit, the giant display had refreshed to show the final rankings.
At the very top, a line of dazzling golden text seared the eyes of countless examinees in the plaza.
[First Place: Qingyue Xiyue Squad. Points: 53,341]
They had surpassed the second-place team by over six thousand points.
An utterly despair-inducing gap.
Just then, a belated system notification chimed in Lin Qingyue's mind.
[Ding! Congratulations, Host, for securing first place in the "Newcomer Points Match: Shadow of Calamity" regional competition with your teammate Lin Xiyue by an absolute margin!]
[Detected that your squad's victory has shaken the perceptions of numerous middle and high school Professionals regarding Paladins and Priests. Elation Value +666!]
[Ding! Detected that Host has unlocked the hidden achievement Pinnacle of Perfection. Reward: Xiangling's Culinary Arts (Master Level)!]
[Xiangling's Culinary Arts]
[Type: Skill Book]
[Description: Upon use, you will master the top-tier cooking techniques from Liyue's Wanmin Restaurant. From now on, your dishes will automatically gain the effects: "Deliciousness +50%," "Mood Boost +30%," and "Small chance to trigger special buffs."]
[Note: Wanna try my new dish? I promise not to add any Slime Condensate... probably.]
The corner of Lin Qingyue's mouth twitched.
She stared at the description on the system panel, lost in philosophical contemplation for a full three seconds.
So, I just obliterated the Undead Overlord into dust with a single Healing Spell, and the System's reward... is cooking skills?
The System's logic truly danced to its own beat in another dimension.
Still... it seems pretty useful, doesn't it? Maybe she could cook her own stamina-restoring food in the future and stop relying on the lottery.
As she mulled over her new skill, an aura even more terrifying than the Undead Army in the Dungeon surged toward her from all directions!
"They're out! It's Lin Qingyue and Lin Xiyue!"
"Quick! Surround them!"
"Student Lin Qingyue! I'm Director Wang from Jingcheng University's admissions office! As long as you join our university, you'll get an S-rank Cultivation Contract, your choice of mentor, and all our resources will be prioritized for you!"
A man with gold-rimmed glasses, his clothes disheveled, squeezed through the crowd, his face alight with undisguised fanaticism.
"Get out of the way, Fatty Wang! The Northern War Academy offers one-on-one guidance from a Brigadier-General Mentor! Plus, priority access to three S-rank Dungeons every year! Student Lin, please consider it!" a burly old man roared like thunder.
"Modu Academy! One million annual living stipend! Free accommodation! Plus a 300-square-meter, move-in-ready river-view apartment!"
The professors, experts, and admissions directors who had been sitting primly in the Observation Center just moments ago now charged forward like madmen, their eyes glowing with ravenous greed.
Behind them, countless media reporters armed with cameras and microphones squeezed through every gap, their flashes exploding like a sudden burst of daylight.
"Student Lin Qingyue! Was that final Healing Spell actually a hidden Forbidden Spell?"
"How did your Holy Energy transform the Undead Zone into fertile soil? Is this related to your special talent?"
"Online, people are calling you the 'Living Saintess' and the 'Nuclear Priest.' What are your thoughts on that?"
A forest of microphones nearly jabbed into Lin Qingyue's nostrils.
Lin Xiyue stepped forward, spreading her arms like a lioness protecting her cub, shielding her older sister behind her.
The Paladin's Protective Force Field automatically activated, its faint golden glow deflecting most of the pushing and shoving.
"Everyone, please calm down! My sister needs to rest!"
The young woman's voice was clear and firm, but it sounded fragile against the overwhelming tide of fanaticism.
Shielded by her sister amidst the cacophony, Lin Qingyue finally reached her breaking point.
Her voice wasn't loud, yet it miraculously cut through all the noise.
"Um... Esteemed teachers, friends from the media."
She peeked out from behind Lin Xiyue, her expression a mixture of sincerity and pleading.
"Can I please go home and take a shower first?"
The entire scene fell dead silent.
Everyone froze.
Director Wang from Jingcheng University stood with his mouth agape, the series of even more generous offers he had prepared getting stuck in his throat, unable to come out.
Professor Li from the War Academy stared with wide, bull-like eyes, his face screaming, Who am I? Where am I? What did I just hear?
A shower?
At this glorious moment that would decide her future, allow her to ascend to greatness, and bring glory to her ancestors?
At this brilliant instant that would be recorded in the annals of the new generation of Professionals?
You... the only thing on your mind is taking a shower?
As if oblivious to their collective system crash, Lin Qingyue raised a hand, pointing to the dusty, stained hem of her clothes, then to her hair—still pink, but visibly matted and sticky.
"It's been three days."
"Seriously, a full three days without a shower. I feel like I'm about to grow mushrooms."
As she spoke, she lifted her arm to sniff her sleeve, then wrinkled her nose in disgust.
Her earnest, troubled expression didn't seem fake.
"Choosing a school is a huge deal. I think everyone needs to calm down and think it over."
Lin Qingyue's expression couldn't have been more sincere.
"How about this? I'll go home, take a shower, catch up on some sleep, and we can talk again tomorrow?"
Pfft.
Someone in the crowd was the first to lose their composure.
Immediately after, suppressed laughter spread like a contagion, quickly rippling through the group.
The tense, high-stakes atmosphere of the recruitment battle was instantly shattered by this simple, unadorned—and slightly smelly—request.
"This girl... she's something else."
"Her style is certainly... unique."
"Why do I get the feeling... she really, really just wants to go home and take a shower...?"
The admissions officers exchanged bewildered glances, their carefully prepared speeches and bargaining chips suddenly feeling utterly useless.
You couldn't exactly pitch "Our school's bathhouse has hot water, and we even give out free exfoliating towels!" to a peerless genius who could casually pull off "Concept Rewriting," could you?
"Ahem."
Director Wang from Jingcheng University was the first to recover. He adjusted his glasses and forced what he hoped was his most amiable smile.
"Of course, of course! Student Lin, you've worked hard and deserve a good rest! We won't disturb you any longer. We'll pay you a proper visit tomorrow!"
"Yes, yes, tomorrow! We'll come back tomorrow!" the others chimed in.
They had figured it out: this girl's thought process was on a completely different wavelength from a normal person's. Pressuring her now would likely backfire.
Seeing her chance, Lin Qingyue's eyes instantly lit up. She nodded repeatedly, like a chick pecking at grain.
"Thank you, teachers! Thank you, everyone! I'll be going now!"
Before her voice had even faded, she grabbed Lin Xiyue and, as nimble as a loach, slipped through the encirclement. She vanished down the special passage hastily cleared by the staff, disappearing in a flash.
She left behind a crowd of admissions officers unsure whether to laugh or cry, and a group of media reporters exchanging bewildered glances.
"Are the offers we made really less tempting than a hot bath?" a young teacher muttered, his worldview shaken.
"No," said Director Wang from Jingcheng University. He adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses, his eyes behind them astonishingly sharp.
"She's very smart."
He gazed in the direction the sisters had disappeared, a meaningful smile playing on his lips.
"To know how to stay calm at the peak of her fame, to not be swept away by sudden honor and adoration... That kind of mental fortitude is even rarer than her talent."
Hearing this, the other admissions officers also calmed down, their expressions turning thoughtful.
He's right. A prodigy who could turn the tide in such a desperate situation and remain clear-headed under the intense public spotlight...
She's worth waiting for.