217: Chapter 216 Level 5

His power was more than double what it had been before; his Speed, reaction time, and explosive force had all improved significantly.

LV5, he had finally reached it.

To go from the peak of LV4 to LV5, he had used an LV8 Puppeteer as a stepping stone.

It was worth it.

Wang Lin took a deep breath and exhaled slowly.

The power within his body was still surging, but it was no longer as violent as before.

Wang Lin felt something new—a Superpower.

Third Uncle Shen Henian's [Puppeteer] Superpower had been absorbed along with him when he devoured Third Uncle Shen Henian's body.

Wang Lin could feel the presence of those puppets; every single one of the puppets that Third Uncle Shen Henian had kept in his space ring was connected to his Mental Energy.

He didn't need to use puppet strings; he only needed to think, and the puppets would move.

A sensation of a foreign object surged in Wang Lin's throat, as if something was pushing up from his esophagus.

He opened his mouth, and a black ring was spat out.

The ring was not large, with the Shen Family emblem engraved on its surface, glowing with a dull luster in the mist.

This was Third Uncle Shen Henian's space ring; when he had swallowed Third Uncle Shen Henian, he had swallowed the ring along with him.

Wang Lin looked at the ring, wiped it with his sleeve, and held it in his palm.

He probed the inside of the ring with his Mental Energy; the space inside was not large, but it contained quite a few things.

A few ancient books, several medicine bottles, a neat stack of money, and some miscellaneous items.

What caught his attention the most were the few sealed puppets in the corner...

Most of them were small puppets with little combat power.

But among them, three had strength above LV6.

One humanoid, one beast-shaped, and one bird-shaped.

Now, they all belonged to Wang Lin.

The corner of Wang Lin's mouth curled up slightly.

With three puppets above LV6, combined with his own strength and his trump cards, he could now face an LV7 opponent head-on.

If he added the Sword God to the mix, with his dual mastery of blade and sword, his strength would soar to another level.

Wang Lin put the space ring away, stood up, and stretched his body.

His bones cracked, and his muscles twitched beneath his skin.

Wang Lin's mental state was better than ever; the power in his abdomen had stabilized, no longer surging, and was resting calmly in his Dantian.

Wang Lin put his hands in his pockets and walked toward Qingshi Camp.

On the way, he encountered Zhou Zhenghao, Zhao Meng, Su Wanqing, Qiao Shuwan, and others; they were still alive.

But he didn't go up to greet them; his main target was Shen Junlin.

Wang Lin stood in the woods outside the camp, watching the camp gate through the gray-white mist.

He didn't go in because he knew that if he entered the camp, Shen Junlin would know he was still alive.

Shen Junlin would then be on guard, perhaps even hide, or bring more people to hunt him down.

Wang Lin didn't want to alert the enemy; he had to wait, wait for Shen Junlin to come out on his own.

Wang Lin found a concealed tree and located a hiding spot in the canopy where the branches and leaves were dense; one couldn't see inside from the outside, but one could see outside from within.

Wang Lin sat down, leaned his back against the trunk, and took out a bird puppet from the space ring.

The bird-shaped puppet was only the size of a pigeon, covered in dark silver metallic feathers that shimmered with a dim light in the mist.

This puppet bird had incredible Speed and was suitable for reconnaissance.

Wang Lin's Mental Energy connected to the puppet bird's crystal core; now, Wang Lin could see everything the puppet bird saw and hear everything it heard.

He didn't need to speak; he only needed to think, and the puppet bird would move.

With a slight movement of Wang Lin's finger, the puppet bird spread its wings, flew out of the canopy, and headed toward Qingshi Camp.

It circled above the camp like an ordinary bird, not attracting anyone's attention.

Wang Lin closed his eyes and watched the camp through the puppet bird's vision.

He saw Zhou Zhenghao returning from the forest with Zhao Meng and Su Wanqing; all three were injured, but not seriously.

He saw Qiao Shuwan walking out of the girls' dormitory, her face pale but her steps steady.

He saw Director Fang standing in the middle of the playground, holding a list and taking roll call.

But he didn't see Shen Junlin for the time being; however, Wang Lin was not in a hurry. He could wait.

One day, two days, three days.

On the third day, when the sun rose, Wang Lin saw a person walking out from the depths of the camp through the puppet bird's eyes.

He was wearing a black tactical suit with a sword hanging at his waist, his hair meticulously combed; it was Shen Junlin.

Wang Lin's pupils contracted sharply; he had finally waited for this moment.

Shen Junlin walked out of the camp and headed toward the Mist Forest: "Wang Lin, so many days have passed; you must be dead by now."

"This is the price for offending the Shen Family."

Wang Lin watched Shen Junlin's back, the corner of his mouth curling up slightly.

With a slight flick of his finger, the puppet bird flew down from the tree and followed Shen Junlin, maintaining a safe distance.

Shen Junlin's Mental Energy was not as strong as Wang Lin's, and his perception range was smaller, so he didn't notice anything unusual.

Wang Lin followed Shen Junlin the whole way until they had left the camp perimeter, exited the safe zone, and entered the depths of the Mist Forest.

Wang Lin jumped down from the canopy, recalled the puppet bird, and landed on the ground.

He activated the [Thousand Faces] Superpower.

Wang Lin's body began to change; his skin became loose, wrinkles crept to the corners of his eyes, his hair turned from black to gray, his height decreased slightly, and his frame became thinner.

He looked exactly like Third Uncle Shen Henian.

Wang Lin lightly brushed his finger over the space ring, and the LV6 puppet bird flew out again.

Then, Wang Lin leaped onto the puppet bird's back, standing steadily, and with a slight flick of his finger,

the puppet bird's wings flapped violently, and its body shot forward, flying toward Shen Junlin.

It was moving at great Speed, leaving a dark silver afterimage in the mist.

As Shen Junlin walked, he suddenly heard the sound of wings flapping against the air above his head.

Shen Junlin looked up and saw a dark silver puppet bird circling above him.

Shen Junlin's eyes lit up; Third Grand-Uncle had returned.

He stopped walking and waited for the puppet bird to land.

The puppet bird descended slowly in front of him and landed on a low branch.

Shen Junlin looked at the puppet bird's back; it was indeed his Third Grand-Uncle, Third Uncle Shen Henian.

Shen Junlin felt completely reassured; since Third Grand-Uncle had appeared, Wang Lin must be dead.

He ran over, a relieved smile on his face: "Third Grand-Uncle! How is Wang Lin? Did you kill him?"

Wang Lin looked at Shen Junlin's excited face, his expression unchanging.

He didn't dare say too much, fearing he would give himself away.

He could imitate Third Uncle Shen Henian's voice, but he couldn't imitate Third Uncle Shen Henian's tone, word choice, or habits.

He was afraid he would be discovered if he spoke too much.

So he didn't answer Shen Junlin's question, just reached out a hand, his voice low and hoarse: "Get on."

Shen Junlin was stunned for a moment, but didn't think too much about it.

Third Grand-Uncle was an LV8 powerhouse, the strongest in the entire Shen Family; he couldn't possibly harm him.