Chapter 42: Joining the Heavenly River

Early morning, the southwest side of Tianhe City.

The admissions office of Tianhe Academy received a phone call from Lin Yin. At first, no one dared to believe it, but once Lin Yin transmitted his personal credentials, a brief silence was followed by an uproar in the office. This excitement quickly spread, setting the entire Tianhe Academy into a frenzy of activity.

Principal Gu Jiangshan rushed over, breathless. "Is it confirmed?"

"Yes, the call came directly from student Lin Yin himself. These are his credentials!"

Taking the file and scanning Lin Yin’s statistics, Gu Jiangshan felt momentarily dazed. A peerless prodigy, fought over by every nation of the human race, had actually chosen to enroll in his modest, second-tier academy.

"Principal, can Tianhe Academy handle this?" the head of the admissions office whispered, sounding concerned. "Setting aside whether we have the capability to nurture him, just by accepting him, won't the royal-tier academies of every nation mark us as a thorn in their side?"

Hearing this, Gu Jiangshan immediately regained his composure. "It doesn't matter. Since Lin Yin is willing to choose us, how can we shrink away before the battle even begins?"

Soon, the typically mild-mannered and unassuming Principal Gu announced to the entire faculty: "If Lin Yin truly joins Tianhe Academy, all training resources will be placed under strict management. You don't need to worry about the shortage of resources, and you don't need to worry about the details of Lin Yin’s training. You only need to remember one thing: hold the line. No matter who comes to pressure Tianhe Academy, you stand your ground!"

A tremor ran through the teachers. They understood that the principal was prepared to burn his bridges.

"The opportunity has fallen right into our laps. Whether we can hold onto it depends entirely on us!"

...

Tianhe Academy was in a state of madness, though on the surface, it remained as calm as ever. Only observant students would notice construction crews and unfamiliar personnel everywhere, all hinting that this century-old academy was about to undergo a massive transformation.

...

On the day the college entrance exam results were released, Lin Yin appeared at the main gate of Tianhe Academy. He wore a baseball cap, looking like an ordinary passerby.

As he walked and observed, Lin Yin silently assessed the strength of Tianhe Academy. The result was clear: it was a very ordinary institution. Although it possessed many training grounds left over from the old era, they were all shuttered, whether because no one needed them or no one was qualified to use them.

In fact, eighty years ago, Tianhe Academy had been a titan. After all, this was the frontier, with the Great Wall of Jiayu Pass right before them. Thousands of first-generation martial artists had taken root here, and it was once hailed as the foundation of the Great Xia Nation.

Unfortunately, a great war had claimed the lives of ten thousand Tianhe Academy martial artists at the Great Wall. Since then, the academy had fallen from its pedestal, unable to recover, slowly sinking into a second-tier school that was eventually surpassed by Bailu Academy.

"Student Lin Yin, how is your inspection going?"

Suddenly, a voice came from behind. Lin Yin turned to see a smiling middle-aged man.

"Don't be nervous." Gu Jiangshan gestured toward a security camera nearby. "Ever since I received your application, I’ve been waiting for you at the academy every day. Your appearance, your gait—I’ve watched the footage hundreds of times until it was etched in my mind."

"Principal Gu, would you call that rote memorization?" Lin Yin smiled slightly. He naturally recognized this man. After all, they had fought side-by-side in his previous life.

"You recognize me? Haha, I suppose 'Old Gu' still has some reputation out there." Gu Jiangshan smiled warmly and reached out. "Please, all the staff and students of Tianhe Academy have been looking forward to your arrival!"

*Oh? So they were prepared, were they?* Lin Yin smiled and followed him inside.

At this very moment, in the great hall of Tianhe Academy, thirty thousand martial arts students were brimming with excitement. Rumors had been flying, and word had spread that the legendary nine-level martial arts prodigy was joining their ranks.

"We’ve finally made it. My alma mater has really stepped up."

"I’d say it’s not the school choosing the student; it’s the student choosing the school."

"Are we really going to see a nine-level martial arts prodigy with our own eyes? Hahaha, I’ve been so exhausted helping the construction crews these past few days that I couldn't stand straight, but if I see him later, not only will my back straighten, it will be straighter than ever!"

"Indeed, all these days of fatigue are finally yielding results. The admissions office really treated us like pack mules! Spending money to hire those construction crews, and making us help out on top of it."

"Do you have a problem with that?"

"A problem? I don't have a damn problem. I’d be happy to help even more if it brings us a nine-level martial arts prodigy!"

"Hahaha, if me acting like a mule can help our school secure a nine-level prodigy, I’d be a mule for half my life."

"Ma Jun! We martial artists should have pride... but if we can really secure him, maybe we can set aside that pride for a bit."

"Hahaha, true pride is only born when our human race has towering pillars of strength and is no longer threatened by the demon race."

"How much longer..."

"It must be soon. With the admissions office sending out such urgent, last-minute notices, they must have received accurate word!"

Amidst the clamor of discussion, a group of clearly gifted young people gathered together, firing questions at the girl in their center.

"Sister Zixun, does this really have nothing to do with you?"

Jiang Zixun sighed helplessly. "It definitely has nothing to do with me. That was my junior brother's own choice."

"Then why choose our Tianhe Academy? Any royal-tier academy out there could crush us; even the weakest, Dali Kunlun Academy, is several times stronger than us."

"It's because of Elder Jiang," Jiang Zixun explained.

"Oh! So that's why!"

"Hehe, thank goodness for Elder Jiang, holding down the fort at Tianhe."

"Hahaha, doesn't that mean our 'Supreme Class' is going to be something special? With a nine-level martial arts prodigy at the helm, we can finally stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the ace classes of the eight great national academies."

"Alright, alright, just wait."

...

*Whoosh!* Bright floodlights suddenly flared to life. The previously dim great hall was instantly illuminated as if it were day.

"Welcome our pride of Tianhe City, the once-in-eighty-years nine-level martial arts prodigy! With a blood-energy value of 998 on the college entrance exam, ranking first in the nation, he single-handedly carved a path through the Extreme Danger Zone and slew the son of a Demon King—the one and only... Student Lin Yin!"

The principal’s passionate voice echoed through the hall.

At the entrance of the hall, sunlight poured in, framing a dazzling young man in white. As the face beneath Lin Yin’s baseball cap became clear to everyone, the great hall erupted in a tidal wave of cheers.

"OHHH!!!!"

"It’s him, it’s really him!"

"Yin! It’s Lin Yin! He really came!"

"OHHHH!!!"

"Lin Yin, the Tianhe prodigy, the face of Tianhe!"

"Look at me, look at me! I’m your fan, ahhh!"

Seeing the adoring students of Tianhe, even Lin Yin, who had lived two lifetimes, felt a touch of shyness.

"Lin Yin! I love you!" a girl suddenly stood up and shouted, while a boy nearby broke into tears, his heart silently shattering.