Chapter 96: Coming Home and a Visit

Chapter 96: Chapter 96: Coming Home and a Visit

The moment Li Heng stepped out of the Seventh Middle School gates, he saw many parents and teachers waiting by the roadside.

Compared to the dense crowd on the first day of the exam, the numbers were much smaller today. After all, it was the sixth day, and the Mystic Realm Entrance Exam was nearing its end.

As Li Heng walked out of the school, he drew the gazes of some parents and teachers—a whole spectrum of looks.

Some saw that Li Heng wasn’t the child or student they were waiting for and immediately looked away.

Other parents looked at him, noting he was out on only the sixth day, and their gazes held a hint of disdain. They seemed proud and smug, thinking their own children would last longer than him.

And then there were parents who saw his bloodstained clothes, their brows furrowing with worry as if picturing their own children in his place.

But regardless of the looks he received, Li Heng walked with a confident stride, unbothered. He slowly made his way home.

However, he had only taken a few steps before he stopped. A figure came into view, and he quickly ran toward her.

"Mom! What are you doing here? Didn’t I tell you and Dad to rest at home? I’m fine!"

Though his words sounded like a complaint, his heart was filled with warmth, tinged with a bit of worry.

He could see that his mom’s eyes were bloodshot. He didn’t have to guess to know she hadn’t been resting well these past few days.

While concerned for his mother’s health, Li Heng was, more than anything, deeply moved.

"Hengzi! These past few days... you’ve suffered!"

Seeing Li Heng covered in blood, Zhang Yu Yao immediately looked her son over from head to toe, checking for any injuries.

Once she confirmed he was unharmed, she pulled him into a tight hug, ignoring the filth on his clothes. Though she knew he was safe, her eyes still glistened with tears.

Li Heng gently patted his mother’s back with his right hand to comfort her. "I’m fine, really! I’m sorry for making you two worry. There just wasn’t much to eat in the Mystic Realm. I’m craving your sautéed potatoes, peppers, and eggplant."

"Let’s go, let’s go! We’ll head home, and Mom will make it for you right away! Pork prices have dropped recently—you can get it for 25 now. I’ll stew some ribs for you too!"

"By the way, where’s Dad?"

"Your dad’s probably sleeping. But he’s even more tired than I am. I watched the school gates during the day, and he took the night shift, toughing it out."

Hearing this, Li Heng felt his nose tingle. He didn’t say anything more, just nodded firmly and started walking home with Zhang Yu Yao.

The mother and son didn’t take a taxi or bus. Although Zhang Yu Yao had money on her, Li Heng said he was fine and didn’t feel tired. Covered in blood and grime as he was, he didn’t want to cause trouble for others.

Besides, the walk home wasn’t too far!

About 40 minutes later, the two returned home.

Zhang Yu Yao had intended to wake Li Guobin, but seeing her husband in such a deep sleep, she decided not to disturb him. She would let him rest a little longer and wake him when dinner was ready.

Li Heng, meanwhile, found a clean school uniform, tossed his dirty clothes into the washing machine, and went to take a shower.

While showering, Li Heng took stock of everything he had gained during the Mystic Realm Entrance Exam.

’First, and most tangible, is the Soul Energy Pet I’ve been longing for—a high-grade Tier Two Ice Luan. In terms of both appearance and power, it’s an absolutely incredible gain.’

’Next is the huge pile of Tier Two medicinal herbs and the single Earth Rock Spirit Flower inside my medium-sized Space Stone.’

’Then there was that strange state I entered right after arriving in the Mystic Realm. I think it might have something to do with the Empty Cicada Longsword, but it was too profound. I’m not sure if I can count it as a gain.’

’And most importantly, the Moon Wheel Altar!’

’The third Dungeon I’ve managed to record!’

’Even if I had gotten nothing else, just recording this new Dungeon would have made the whole thing a massive win.’

’At the very least, I didn’t lose out!’

After roughly summarizing his gains from the six-day exam, Li Heng started thinking about how he should spend the week while waiting for the rankings to be announced.

’Now that I have a Soul Energy Pet, maybe I can finally go settle the score with the Blood Wolf King.’

’And those Cold Ice Pythons in Ice Jiao Lake that killed me countless times... I need to settle that final score, too!’

’Or perhaps I could go to the newly recorded Moon Wheel Altar Dungeon and scout it out to get a feel for things.’

Whatever he chose, Li Heng felt he had plenty to do this week. He definitely wouldn’t be idle.

Since he had plenty of time, Li Heng considered many possibilities. He wasn’t in a rush to enter a Dungeon, so after a leisurely shower, he planned to sit in the living room and wait for his mom’s cooking.

However, when Li Heng came out of the shower, he saw that Li Guobin was already awake and waiting for him in the living room.

"Dad, I’m back from the exam! Why didn’t you sleep a little longer?" Li Heng said with a hint of complaint as he walked over to his father.

Although he had heard from his wife that Li Heng was fine, the first thing Li Guobin did upon seeing his son was to look him over from top to bottom. Only after confirming he was truly safe, with no obvious wounds, did he speak.

"Couldn’t sleep! The smell of oil from your mom’s cooking was so strong it woke me up!"

Li Guobin had barely finished speaking when Zhang Yu Yao popped her head out of the kitchen, brandishing a spatula. "Li Guobin, if you’ve got the guts, don’t you dare eat a single bite later!"

"I’m gonna eat it anyway! And I’ll have two servings!"

Li Heng was used to his parents’ daily bickering. He just watched quietly from the side with a faint smile on his face.

He knew better than anyone how much his parents loved each other. He sometimes even suspected they were just showing off their affection for his benefit.

"By the way, Dad," Li Heng asked after his parents finished their playful banter, "didn’t I tell you and Mom not to worry?"

"Originally, your mom and I weren’t too worried. We even bought tickets to... Anyway, we weren’t that worried at first. But then we saw a live TV interview with this year’s Mystic Realm Entrance Exam’s creator, and Yu Yao and I started to panic."

Li Heng asked, "A live interview... What did it say?"

"It said that the islands with mountains were tens, even hundreds of times harder than the others! That even Soul Disciples couldn’t survive on them, and that they even had Tier Two Soul Beasts! Hengzi, the island you were on... it didn’t have any mountains, right?"

’Not only were there mountains, but there was also an altar!’

’And later on, ten mountains even merged together!’

Li Heng didn’t say those words out loud, merely running them through his mind. Seeing his parents’ anxious and worried expressions, he paused for a moment before answering, "There was nothing like that. Everything went smoothly. I just came back once the resources on the island started running low."

Hearing this, Li Guobin finally let go of the anxiety that had been weighing on him. He then chatted with Li Heng about other things.

However, neither Li Guobin nor Zhang Yu Yao, despite being very concerned about Li Heng’s exam results, brought up the question of "How did you do?"

It wasn’t until Zhang Yu Yao had served all the dishes and the family was eating and chatting that Li Guobin casually brought it up.

"Hengzi, you’ve had it rough these past few days! You know your mom and I have never been through the Mystic Realm Entrance Exam, so we’re actually pretty curious about it... If it’s not too much trouble, could you tell us about your experience?"

"Sure, of course!"

Considering his parents’ state, Li Heng thought for a moment and decided to omit anything he thought they would find "dangerous."

Things like Tier Two Soul Beasts were absolutely off the table; he couldn’t even mention the term.

After crafting a story in his head for a few seconds, Li Heng began, "I was teleported to a huge island. No mountains, no altars, just a vast forest. I even met a dozen or so teammates, and I got along pretty well with one of them, a girl named Bao Yaoyao..."

Li Heng recounted his six-day experience, a story of eight parts lies and two parts truth, which left the couple completely engrossed.

He spoke for about five minutes before stopping, thinking to himself, ’I’ll hide the truth for now. Let Mom and Dad rest well for a few days. When the rankings are out, I’ll tell them what really happened.’

It wasn’t that Li Heng wanted to deceive them; he just couldn’t bear to make his parents worry anymore. They clearly hadn’t rested well at all. Once the rankings were released and he could no longer hide it, he would tell them.

At least this way, the two of them could get a few good nights of sleep first.

That’s what Li Heng thought.

After hearing Li Heng’s description, the couple’s expressions visibly relaxed. They then started chatting about everyday matters, avoiding any more topics related to the Mystic Realm Entrance Exam.

KNOCK, KNOCK...

Just as the family of three was finishing their meal and Zhang Yu Yao was about to clear the table, a sudden knock came from the door.

’Huh?’

’Who could it be?’

The sudden knocking made all three of them curious.

"I’ll get the door!" Li Guobin was closest, so he went and opened it.

When he opened the door, Li Guobin was met with the sight of two soldiers in Soul Energy Alliance uniforms—a man and a woman, both with their own military ranks displayed.

"You are..."

As far as Li Guobin could recall, neither he nor Zhang Yu Yao had any relatives or friends serving as officers in the Soul Energy Alliance military.

Li Guobin was completely baffled by the two officers’ sudden visit.

"Hello! Is this the home of Li Heng, a student from Class 5, Grade 12 of Maple City Thirteenth Middle School?" the female officer asked after giving a salute.

"Yes! And you are...?"

"Hello! I’m a teacher from the Admissions Office of the Desert Military Academy, in the Alliance’s northwestern region. My surname is Zeng!"

"Hello, I am a teacher from the Medical Type department of the Desert Military Academy, also in the Alliance’s northwestern region. I was also one of the teachers responsible for calculating student Li Heng’s score in the Mystic Realm Entrance Exam. My surname is Su!"

The Alliance’s northwestern region, the Desert Military Academy!!!

Although Li Guobin didn’t understand all of it, he instantly felt it was something impressive. At the very least, he understood the words "Military Academy" and "Admissions Office."

When Li Heng heard the woman’s voice, it sounded familiar. As soon as he saw her face, he remembered she was the teacher who had appraised his medicinal herbs and assigned him points.

"Hello, Teacher Su!"

As a junior, Li Heng greeted her immediately upon recognizing who she was.

When Li Heng appeared before them, Teacher Su first nodded in acknowledgment. Then, she turned to the man beside her and said, "That’s right! He’s the one I told you about—the brilliant genius who turned in the Ice Luan card and scored over four thousand points!"