Half an hour later, they were downstairs from their apartment building.
Lin Qingyue looked at the unusually quiet residential complex, somewhat surprised.
"Strange. Those schools actually didn't send anyone here?"
"Dad and Mom probably sent them away," Lin Xiyue said as she took out her keys to open the door.
The moment the door swung open, the aroma of home-cooked food mingled with the familiar scent of home wafted over them.
In the living room, their parents were lounging comfortably on the sofa, watching TV.
"You're back," Yan Shuyu said, turning around with a smile. "Breakfast is still warm. Go wash up."
"Dad, Mom," Lin Qingyue said, shuffling over weakly after changing into her slippers. "Those admissions officers..."
Lin Qingtian's gaze remained glued to the TV screen. Without even lifting his head, he gestured with his chin toward the coffee table.
On the table, a small mountain of exquisitely printed business cards with various designs was piled high.
"Oh, sent them all away."
His tone was so casual it sounded less like he was discussing his daughters' futures and more like he was commenting on whether the price of scallions at the market had gone up or down today.
"I told them you just finished the competition. No matter how urgent it is, it'll have to wait until you've had a good sleep."
"I scheduled a meeting for ten tomorrow morning and told them all to come at once. It's less annoying than dealing with them one after another."
His words were delivered with an air of casual indifference, yet they carried the unshakeable calm of someone who wouldn't flinch even if Mount Tai collapsed before them.
Lin Qingyue looked at her father, who was usually just an ordinary member of the Dungeon Patrol Team, and suddenly felt he was a little different today.
But the thought was fleeting.
"That's great!" she cheered, her objective clear as she bolted straight for the bathroom. "Xiyue, hurry! Let's shower together! We can scrub each other's backs!"
"Coming, coming!"
Soon, the sound of rushing water filled the bathroom.
The warm stream washed over Lin Qingyue's body, carrying away three days of exhaustion and grime. She felt so comfortable she almost moaned aloud.
I'm alive again.
This is what it feels like to be truly alive.
"Sis," Lin Xiyue said, unable to contain her curiosity as she massaged her sister's hair, "what's the deal with your Healing Spell? How did it purify such a terrifying Necromancer? What were you thinking at that moment?"
"The purification ability... it's probably because my Healing Spell turned pink. As for what I was thinking back then..."
Lin Qingyue closed her eyes, a look of pure bliss on her face. "I was thinking, When will this godforsaken place finally end? I really want to take a shower!"
Lin Xiyue: "..."
She knew it.
She shouldn't have asked.
"But," Lin Qingyue suddenly opened her eyes. Her beautiful pupils held no thirst for power, no ambition for the future—only a light of utmost purity.
It was a yearning for a beautiful life.
"Xiyue, once I level up again, once I reach Level 22, everything will be perfect!"
"Level 22?"
"Yes!" Lin Qingyue nodded emphatically, her serious expression as if she were sketching a grand blueprint for lifelong happiness.
"At Level 22, I can learn the 'Cleanse Spell'!"
"Then, no matter how long I fight in whatever godforsaken place, with just a single thought, I can be sparkling clean from the inside out, smelling fresh and fragrant!"
"I'll never have to endure the agony of not showering for three days again!"
Gazing at her sister's face, radiant with excitement over a minor spell, Lin Xiyue found herself momentarily speechless.
Meanwhile, the entire world was in an uproar over her rule-shattering power.
Yet her sister's greatest ambition at this moment seemed to be the ability to take a hot shower anytime, anywhere.
Sis, you have a massive misunderstanding of the Cleanse Spell. It's meant to remove negative status effects...
Lin Xiyue was about to retort with this.
But on second thought, her sister's Healing Spell had turned pink and even gained an anti-stealth effect.
If she used the Cleanse Spell, it might... actually work as a substitute for showering!
The warm water washed away the last traces of their exhaustion. After changing into clean pajamas, the sisters felt completely revitalized.
Yan Shuyu had prepared a simple yet heartwarming breakfast. The hot congee warmed them from the inside out, relaxing every muscle in their bodies.
After a quick meal, the sisters fell asleep almost the instant their heads hit the pillows.
They slept soundly until 4:30 in the afternoon.
Lin Qingyue opened her eyes. Outside, the setting sun cast a molten gold glow, its light piercing through the gaps in the curtains to slice warm shapes across the floor.
The air was filled with the unique scent of home—a tranquil aroma that could soothe the very soul.
She stretched languidly, her bones popping and cracking in a series of satisfying snaps.
"Awake?"
Beside her, Lin Xiyue mumbled indistinctly.
She had just woken up too, her soft black hair a messy bird's nest, looking like a fluffed-up kitten.
"Awake," Lin Qingyue replied, swinging her legs off the bed. "Hungry?"
"Starving!"
Lin Xiyue scrambled up, her eyes shining. "Mom must have left us food!"
The sisters quickly washed up, changed into clean loungewear, and padded into the living room in their slippers.
Sure enough, several dishes covered on the dining table were still steaming faintly.
Yan Shuyu peeked out from the kitchen, wearing an apron, her smile gentle. "You're awake? Go on and eat. I just reheated the food for you."
Braised pork ribs, stir-fried seasonal vegetables, tomato and egg drop soup, and a pot of fragrant white rice.
It was the simplest home-cooked meal, yet at this moment, it surpassed all the world's delicacies.
The sisters buried their heads in their bowls, devouring the food like a whirlwind sweeping through clouds.
Lin Qingtian sat on the sofa, holding a newspaper. His gaze, however, kept drifting over the top edge to watch his two daughters, an uncontainable smile playing on his lips.
When they had nearly finished eating, he slowly and deliberately lowered the newspaper and cleared his throat.
"Finished?"
"Mhm!" Lin Qingyue set down her bowl and chopsticks, picked up her teacup for a sip, and cut straight to the point. "Dad, Mom, about those schools... do you have any suggestions?"
Yan Shuyu untied her apron and walked over to sit beside her husband. "Your father and I discussed it," she said gently. "Ultimately, the decision is yours. However..."
She glanced at Lin Qingtian.
He reached out and plucked a single card from the stack of exquisitely printed business cards on the coffee table.
It was a pure black card with gold-foiled edges, bearing only four characters: "Jingcheng University"—simple, yet exuding an air of profound authority.
He placed the card in the center of the table, his tone as casual as if he were evaluating a head of cabbage.
"Jingcheng University. Number one in overall strength, with no weaknesses."
"Any profession you pursue there will grant you access to top-tier resources, connections, and platforms. The downside is that it's packed with geniuses, making the competition incredibly intense, and the rules are extremely strict."
He paused, his gaze landing on Lin Qingyue's face, a hint of teasing in his eyes.
"Qingyue, your... personal style is rather uninhibited. If you go there, you'll probably feel completely out of place."
Lin Qingyue's mouth twitched.
Dad, that's putting it mildly.
What do you mean, 'uninhibited personal style'? The System forces me into these socially suicidal situations!
She could already picture it: during a top-tier public lecture at Jingcheng University, a white-haired professor is expounding on the fundamental laws of the world. Suddenly, a ding goes off in her head, triggering [Melody Beyond the Strings].
Then, in front of a national livestream and a crowd of academic titans, she'd burst into a rendition of "Big Hilichurl's sick, Second Hilichurl checks↗. Third Hilichurl gathers herbs, Fourth Hilichurl wails↗."
The scene...
She'd probably be turned into a specimen and hung on the Pillar of Shame in Jingcheng University's history museum for all eternity.