117: Chapter 118 Pre-match Turmoil

At this moment, not only were ordinary students and the public buzzing with discussion, but even some mainstream media in Zhongnan City had sensed the trending topic and began publishing relevant news reports.

For a time, eye-catching headlines such as "The Youngest Participant in the History of Zhongnan City's Summoner Competition—An 18-Year-Old Brave One" and "He is 18 This Year, Seeking to Compete on the Same Stage as Octogenarian Seniors"

and "Shock! Challenging a Top-Tier Event Less Than a Month After Class Change?" began to appear on local news websites, social media feeds, and in the corners of printed newspapers.

There was no helping it; such headlines came with built-in traffic and could easily grab the public's attention.

Many citizens who originally had no concept of the name Lin Muyang couldn't help but join the wave of discussion after reading these reports.

"Is this kid named Lin Muyang being a bit too impulsive and unrealistic?"

"I think it's just hype, right? He's coming out to show his face and gain some visibility; he'll probably be out in the first round."

"I heard his Summoner constitution is called 'Friend of Beautiful Girls' or something, and he only summons pretty girls? Isn't that just messing around?"

"I remember the report saying his first summon was an Elf Priest. She's quite good-looking, but with such an unreliable master, I'm afraid she's going to get thrashed on stage..."

Public opinion was almost entirely pessimistic. Although many reports mentioned that Lin Muyang's Elf Priest had easily defeated a Genius Swordsman from Tianhai City, in most people's eyes, that was nothing more than a child's play match and didn't represent anything at all.

In this Summoner Competition, among the more than four hundred people registered in the Zhongnan City division alone, there were over seventy whose levels exceeded level 100! Among them were several veteran powerhouses who had reached level 110 or higher, possessed s-rank talents, and had long been famous in the local Summoner circles. Having been immersed in the path of summoning for decades, their cultivation of summons, understanding of tactics, and grasp of timing were far beyond what a newcomer could compare to.

Furthermore, the Tianqi Tower guild, one of the four major powers, had sent a specially appointed expert with an s-rank talent and a level as high as 115 to compete. In everyone's eyes, this was the true strong contender for a qualifying spot.

What could a rookie Summoner, who had only changed classes a little over a month ago, use to compete with these old monsters?

Thus, before the tournament had even officially begun, a playful joke began to circulate in the streets, online forums, and even some taverns and teahouses in Zhongnan City: "In life, whatever you do, never be like that Lin Muyang!"

Most people only knew that Lin Muyang had an Elf Priest summon. Many secretly speculated: Could this young man really be so delusional as to plan on letting that healing and support-focused Elf Priest go up on stage to engage in melee combat with those ferocious Beast Kings, Elemental Behemoths, and Undead Armies?

Amidst such skepticism and mockery, time arrived at the morning of the match day.

To cheer up his beloved pet, the Elf Princess, who was about to represent him in battle, Lin Muyang had a deep exchange with her the previous night, delving into the arts together until late at night.

"You're not allowed to use that Aura in the future... it's too much of a bully..." In the morning, Lilia's pretty face was flushed like a ripe apple. She held onto Lin Muyang's arm, her steps a bit weak as she walked downstairs, her voice carrying a mix of bashful annoyance and a hint of sweet complaint. Her attributes clearly couldn't match Lin Muyang's, yet he had cheated by using that stamina-enhancing Aura; it was simply too much!

"Alright, then next time we'll have a fair spar without the Aura." Lin Muyang nodded readily, smiling as he squeezed her soft palm.

"Ah? There's... there's a next time?" Hearing this, Lilia's fair face turned even redder, and her emerald eyes widened, filled with an accusation that said, "How can you be like this?" Delving into the arts was very taxing on both mind and body! If they did it for another night, she feared she would fall apart!

Catching a glimpse of Elabess coming out of the kitchen with breakfast, Lilia had a sudden idea. Like a startled little rabbit, she dodged behind the Succubus Maiden, poking out only half her head to stick her tongue out at Lin Muyang with a sly smile: "Brother Lin Muyang, Sister Elabess's technique must be better~ Let her delve into the arts with you tonight!"

"Lilia." Elabess placed the exquisite plate on the dining table and turned around. She crossed her arms and looked at the Elf Princess hiding behind her with a half-smile, a mischievous light dancing in her purple eyes. "Some homework cannot be casually pushed onto your sister. And from what I see, after last night's special training, your complexion looks even more radiant than before~"

"No, it doesn't!" Lilia's ears turned red from the comment. Like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, she quickly jumped out from behind Elabess and scrambled into the kitchen. "I'll go help bring the milk!"

Watching the harmonious and vibrant scene in the living room, a sense of tranquil satisfaction welled up in Lin Muyang's heart. The Elf Princess was whispering something to Elena in the kitchen, followed by silver-bell-like laughter; the Yama Maiden, Gui Wanwan, was curled up like a lazy cat on a cushion in the corner of the living room, resting with her eyes closed as a faint grey Aura circulated around her.

The Night Elf Seraphina sat quietly on the single sofa by the window, sipping warm milk in small gulps, her violet eyes looking curiously out the window at the gradually awakening city; Feng Ling, on the other hand, was holding a picture book she had found in the study about the history of Blue Star, reading it with great interest, her flame-like long hair shimmering in the morning light.

This scene of peaceful years almost gave Lin Muyang an illusion—if time could stay forever in such a warm and peaceful moment, it wouldn't be bad.

But the thought only flashed by. He knew that such tranquility was built upon strength. The levels of the young ladies still needed to be continuously raised, and their strength needed to become even greater! This was not only to ensure absolute safety on the peril-filled Blue Star but also for the future, so he could help them solve the problems facing their respective home worlds.

Elabess needed to lead her Succubus tribe to find a way to leave that desperate Dark Abyss, or at least a way to live peacefully within it; Ao Qingyan carried the future of the Divine Dragon Bloodline, needing to either find a way for her clansmen to leave a world in the Age of Dharma Decline or find a way to restore the world's spiritual energy and its former glory; and Gui Wanwan had to face terrifying potential threats.

These were all goals that Lin Muyang needed to plan for and achieve step by step. In comparison, Blue Star, this seemingly vast world, was currently more of a "ladder" and "trial ground" for him and the young ladies to gather resources and quickly become stronger. He believed that before long, no one on the entire Blue Star would be able to threaten them.

And Blue Star's abundant Dungeon and Secret Realm resources indeed provided them with massive amounts of experience, equipment, and materials, making it excellent soil for rapid growth.

Breakfast ended in a relaxed and pleasant atmosphere. the young ladies each returned to their rooms and changed into casual clothes suitable for going out. At Lilia's strong recommendation, Seraphina put on a well-tailored, elegant light purple dress in the elven style, which appropriately concealed her graceful curves, making her look noble and mysterious. However, this outfit clearly made the Night Elf, who was used to flexible movement, a bit uncomfortable; she occasionally tugged at the hem of her skirt, her movements appearing somewhat stiff.

"We're just going to watch the match, no need to fight, so relax," Lin Muyang comforted her gently, seeing her unease.

Seraphina nodded lightly, a flash of relief appearing in her violet eyes.

For this trip, Lin Muyang decided to take Lilia to compete, Seraphina to watch and adapt to society, and Feng Ling and Gui Wanwan purely out of curiosity to see the excitement. Ao Qingyan declined the invitation to join; for her, every second of cultivation time was precious. With her level increases and talent enhancements, she could now gain nearly two hundred attribute points in a single night of cultivation! This visible speed of becoming stronger had made her completely addicted, turning her into a literal cultivation maniac.

As for Elabess, she planned to take this opportunity to return to the Dark Abyss once more to deliver a new batch of food, clothing, and daily necessities to the Succubus sisters staying behind. Lin Muyang directly gave her a card containing millions of magic crystals, letting her shop freely. For the now-wealthy Lin Muyang, this amount of magic crystals was truly nothing; if it could improve the lives of Elabess's tribespeople, he was more than happy to provide it.

With preparations complete, Lin Muyang led the four young ladies, each with a different style but equally beautiful enough to make it hard to look away, out of the villa gates of Ziyun Mountain Villa.

Not long after they stepped out, they happened to see the gate of the neighboring villa open. The black-haired campus belle Shen Muyao, dressed in simple sportswear and carrying a cool Aura, was getting into her sleek red magic crystal-powered sports car. She clearly saw Lin Muyang's group as well, rolled down the window, and waved from a distance, a hint of hard-to-detect expectation on her clear face.

"Lin Muyang~" Shen Muyao's voice came through the cool morning air, crisp and pleasant. "Are you going to the City Martial Arts Hall to watch the match... or to compete? Do you want me to give you a ride?"

Her red sports car had beautiful lines, and the interior decorations everywhere reflected a young girl's refinement and freshness. Those who knew her were aware that this was her exclusive vehicle; she had never carried any male passenger, and even her father rarely had the chance to ride in it. As she took the initiative to issue the invitation, she couldn't help but feel a bit nervous.

"Thanks, but no thanks." Lin Muyang smiled at her in a friendly manner and shook his head. He looked at Lilia, who was intimately holding his arm, and made up an excuse: "Lilia gets a bit carsick, we'll just walk over."

Carsick? An elf can get carsick?

Shen Muyao was slightly stunned; this reason caught her by surprise. But she quickly adjusted, pushed open the car door, and stepped out: "Then I'll park the car and walk over with you? It's on the way."

"Don't, you should still drive." Lin Muyang declined again, his tone gentle but carrying a hint of being non-negotiable. "We're a bit fast; you might not be able to keep up."

Fast? How fast could they be? Could walking be faster than driving? Shen Muyao was puzzled, but seeing that Lin Muyang didn't seem to be joking and thinking of his mysterious strength, she suppressed her doubts and nodded: "Then... alright. See you at the arena."

She sat back in the driver's seat and started the car, planning to drive slowly ahead and wait for Lin Muyang and the others to catch up. She wanted to see what Lin Muyang meant by "fast."

However, the next scene caused her beautiful eyes to widen instantly.

She saw Lin Muyang nod to the young ladies beside him. The next moment, a layer of pale green, nearly transparent air currents quietly emerged around the five of them. Immediately following that, their feet actually left the ground slightly, as if being gently lifted by an invisible flow of air, and they hovered in the low air about half a meter off the ground!

"Power of Wind Sufficiency." With a thought, Lin Muyang activated his God-Tier Aura but deliberately controlled the speed bonus.

Subsequently, the five of them were like feathers pushed by a breeze, "drifting" out along the clean roads of the villa area at a speed that seemed leisurely but was actually extremely fast. In the blink of an eye, they bypassed Shen Muyao's slowly moving sports car, leaving behind only a faint trail of a breeze carrying the fragrance of grass and wood.

"This... so fast?" Shen Muyao's hand on the steering wheel tightened as she quickly stepped on the "accelerator." The magic crystal engine let out a low hum, and the car's speed shot up. But even so, she could only watch helplessly as the figures of Lin Muyang's group of five made a light turn at the intersection ahead and disappeared from her field of vision, so fast that she couldn't even catch up to their non-existent taillights.

Driving all the way to the grand, flying-saucer-like "Zhongnan City Comprehensive Martial Arts Hall" in the city area, Shen Muyao parked her car and followed the crowd toward the spectator entrance. She saw many excited spectators holding support items lining up to enter, while at the contestant passage, Lin Muyang's figure was already nowhere to be seen.

He should have already gone in with those young ladies. A hint of faint disappointment rose in Shen Muyao's heart, along with an even stronger curiosity. They could actually fly at low altitude like that... and the speed was so astonishing! This was definitely not as simple as the special ability of a certain summon.

"Could it be... that their levels are already very high? Or did he master some powerful flying skill himself?" Shen Muyao pondered to herself, finding it somewhat hard to believe. Reaching this level in less than two months after class change? She would rather believe it was some rare special skill or item effect that granted a flight status.

She couldn't help but recall the four young ladies around Lin Muyang: Lilia the Elf Priest was someone she knew; that little girl with flame-like long hair and a tranquil temperament seemed to have grown a bit since the last time they met? Then there was that elegant Night Elf with purple hair and a sense of detachment, and finally, the short-haired girl with a faint smile and slightly pale skin...

Among these four young ladies, who exactly possessed that kind of flying ability? Or was it Lin Muyang's own ability all along?

Even if she racked her brain, Shen Muyao would never guess that the seemingly miraculous flight was just the most inconspicuous auxiliary effect of one of Lin Muyang's many God-Tier Auras. She would even less expect that next, within the arena, this youth who was mysterious and powerful in her eyes would bring a subversive shock to everyone.