Hero Tavern.
This was a tavern located in the west of the city, near the city wall. It was quite secluded and didn't have much foot traffic.
The first floor was the kitchen, and the second floor was the tavern. Lin Yu trotted upstairs and, upon arriving, saw the still-charming proprietress, who was looking down and calculating accounts.
The proprietress was used to people coming, so she lazily said without looking up, "Are you looking for someone or just drinking?"
Lin Yu replied, "I'm looking for someone."
Then, the proprietress looked up at Lin Yu before continuing to calculate her accounts.
Lin Yu walked into the inner section. The inner section was not large, with only three private rooms and a main hall, covering an area of about one hundred square meters. Despite being called Hero Tavern, it was actually just a small establishment.
After searching for a while, Lin Yu quickly spotted a mature, well-endowed woman sitting at a small table by the window in one of the private rooms, holding a wine glass and taking occasional sips of wine.
Tap, tap, tap, tap, the sound of footsteps echoed as Lin Yu approached.
Secretary Qian heard the sound, turned her head, saw it was Lin Yu, and smiled, "Sit down!"
Lin Yu sat down, and Secretary Qian said, "I came to find you not just to give you some information, but also to ask if you're still determined to go to the Supreme Academy?"
The Supreme Academy only had two students, and with Lin Yu, that made three. Although the dean was the Sword God Li Qinglian, the academy had few students and was located in the Gui Xu. Few students who went there to study in previous years managed to graduate alive.
Therefore, over the years, the Supreme Academy had almost been unable to recruit students.
The other academy that actively recruited Lin Yu, the Chaos Elemental Academy, was not only ranked third but also guarded the central city along with two other major academies. It held a revered position, had excellent teachers, and was a cradle for human powerhouses.
This trip, she was not just asking Lin Yu; the principal behind her had also sent her. However, she didn't particularly care about the principal's request; it was just a formality. Her main purpose was to provide Lin Yu with some intelligence.
As the head of a school, having more students enter prestigious schools brought him prestige and greater rewards. These rewards were something even he, as the principal, could not refuse, and they even offered opportunities for breakthroughs beyond the seventh rank.
This was why he, a sixth-rank powerhouse, was willing to be the principal of a high school in a small town.
If he could cultivate a large number of talented individuals, not to mention the rewards from the central city, the rewards given by the respective academies alone could give him a chance to break through the sixth-rank barrier.
Unfortunately, it was too difficult and too dependent on luck.
Over the years, this current batch of students was his best chance at this opportunity.
And Lin Yu was the key. As long as Lin Yu entered the Chaos Elemental Academy, his performance would be enough, and he would receive the opportunity to break through to the seventh rank. If he were lucky, he could ascend to the seventh rank and join the ranks of human powerhouses.
This was not only the temptation of increased lifespan but also the allure of a bright future.
Lin Yu lowered his head, took a shallow sip of the light wine, and said, "Mhmm."
Upon hearing this, Secretary Qian didn't try to persuade him. Instead, she asked, "You could have easily entered the Chaos Elemental Academy. Why are you insistent on going to the Supreme Academy?"
Lin Yu replied, "Perhaps I want to fight. I enjoy the thrill of being on the brink of death."
Secretary Qian was taken aback but, recalling Lin Yu's personality, found it unsurprising.
Solitary individuals might not be suited for bustling places. She had also attended university and found the messes there, such as fights between love rivals, competition for campus queens, men getting jealous, or people resorting to dirty tricks for rankings, to be extremely irritating just to think about.
Lin Yu hadn't thought that far. His initial choice of the Supreme Academy was because it was close to the Gui Xu, which had countless monsters, making it convenient for him to level up by fighting them.
But as things had developed, the reason was no longer that simple.
Lin Yu got straight to the point, "You didn't call me here just to ask these questions, did you? You haven't given me the information I wanted yet."
Secretary Qian said, "You must not share this information with anyone, but I can tell you that your senior disciple will be fine."
"Why?"
She glanced left and right, saw no one nearby, and then whispered,
"Because this incident is targeting the Sword God. Someone wants to tarnish his reputation. Your senior disciple is just collateral damage, perhaps even a bargaining chip in their hands. They won't kill your senior disciple, because doing so would mean a complete breakdown in relations."
Lin Yu was slightly stunned but nodded immediately. This kind of conspiracy theory aligned with his own suspicions.
"And a breakdown in relations wouldn't be good for either side. This is fundamentally a political struggle, and whether the Li family colluded with the underworld is actually unimportant to some people in power."
Secretary Qian continued to explain in a low voice.
After hearing her explanation, Lin Yu understood.
Indeed, the wrath of a powerful individual was not something anyone could bear. The process of political struggle often involved endless arguments and the leverage each side held, much like a card game where victory is determined by back-and-forth plays. One couldn't simply flip the table, or no one would be able to play anymore.
However, Lin Yu felt disgusted by this. If it were him, he would have flipped the table.
Still, Lin Yu felt a little relieved. It was good that the person was safe.
He looked up and carefully examined the woman in front of him.
She was in her late twenties, said to be a relative of the principal, and could obtain such information. Was her identity truly just that of a secretary?
He shook his head and stopped thinking about it. He breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Thank you for the information!"
Secretary Qian said, "Actually, you are still very weak. You should try not to get involved in these political struggles, or you might die without knowing why. Some rules are meant to restrain the weak, not the strong. When you become stronger, rules become the weapons in your hands. Do you understand?"
Lin Yu nodded, then looked at her again, making her blush slightly. "Why are you looking at me like that? Is there something on my face?"
Lin Yu suddenly smiled, "I didn't expect you to know so much. I underestimated you before."
Hearing this, Secretary Qian became unhappy and retorted, "You underestimated me before?"
Seeing this, Lin Yu was about to nod with a smile when he suddenly felt the atmosphere becoming unusual.
At this moment, the proprietress brought over a plate of snacks and said with a smile, "Drinking on an empty stomach is bad for you. This is a complimentary snack from the shop. Please try it."
After placing the plate down, the proprietress left.
Before leaving, the proprietress didn't forget to give Lin Yu a meaningful look. Lin Yu, being sharp, immediately understood.
He took the initiative to open a bottle of wine, poured a full glass, and drank it down in one gulp, saying, "I misspoke just now, I apologize!"
Secretary Qian chuckled and scolded him playfully,
"You're a sly one. Never mind, I won't dwell on your mistakes. Since you're not willing to give up going to the Supreme Academy, I should go back and tell my principal uncle."
With that, she prepared to leave.
Lin Yu suddenly grabbed her hand, but the next moment, realizing he had offended her, he immediately let go and asked,
"I've always been curious, what is your relationship with the principal?"
"He's my seventh uncle!"
"Oh, your grandmother was quite prolific, having seven sons."
"I have eight grandmothers."
Lin Yu: "Uh..."