125: Chapter 126 Big Shots Come to Watch the Match

On this side, Lin Muyang took the young ladies and happily searched for suitable secret realms in the surrounding cities to grind levels. Spending day and night with these young ladies, who all had different personalities yet were all stunningly beautiful, made even the traveling and fighting feel quite pleasant.

"At the current leveling speed, I should be able to reach level 70 by the day after tomorrow at the latest." Lin Muyang calculated his experience progress. Although the required experience increased as his level rose, inevitably slowing down his leveling speed, his current efficiency was still terrifyingly high.

You must know, even a genius swordswoman like Su Qingyue, who possessed top-tier talent and lacked no resources, was only around level 71 now. Yet Lin Muyang had only changed his class for a little over a month and was already approaching level 70! If this leveling speed were to get out, it would definitely be treated as a tall tale.

This astonishing speed was not just due to his god-tier experience bonus Aura, which had been enhanced to over thirty times its strength by Gui Wanwan's "Yamas Fate Alteration". More importantly, every time he cleared a secret realm, he did it solo!

This meant that all the experience points from the entire secret realm were concentrated on him and the few participating young ladies, making his efficiency several or even over ten times that of a team dungeon run! If not for the limited number of high-level, suitable secret realms, he could even attempt to challenge the crazy record of hitting level 100 in a day.

Even so, his current growth trajectory was shocking enough to stun the world. When he registered three days ago, he was level 56; now, three days later, he was already charging toward the level 70 mark. If this news were leaked, it would likely cause an even greater sensation than his one-hit kills in the arena during the day.

"Come to think of it, it won't be long before I summon the eighth young lady." Lin Muyang felt full of anticipation. Each new summon meant new possibilities, new power, and a new, unique partner joining this big family. He wondered what kind of special existence the next one would be.

In the evening, the setting sun dyed the horizon a brilliant orange-red. Lin Muyang took the young ladies back to Ziyun Mountain Villa first and enjoyed a sumptuous dinner prepared by Elena. After a short rest, he took Elf Princess Lilia, who needed to participate in the match, and Night Elf Seraphina, who was sticking to him like a little tail, and set off again for the City Martial Arts Hall.

As for Gui Wanwan and Feng Ling, after experiencing the relatively boring viewing during the day, they had little interest in the evening's matches. Seeing that they were indeed uninterested, Lin Muyang let them stay at the villa to watch TV or do whatever they liked. Seraphina, however, was different; she had an extraordinary dependence on Lin Muyang and wanted to follow him wherever he went, as if only then could she feel at ease.

When Lin Muyang walked into the brightly lit City Martial Arts Hall again with the two Elf Maidens, he immediately and keenly sensed that the atmosphere inside the venue was completely different from the daytime!

During the day, although it was lively, it was filled with the clamor, restlessness, and various noises typical of the early stages of a tournament. The contestants were eager to try, the audience was just there for the spectacle, and the sounds of discussion, laughter, and hawking were all mixed together.

But now... Silence. A kind of near-solemn silence, carrying an invisible pressure, shrouded the entire venue.

When Lin Muyang walked through the contestant passage and reappeared in the contestant seating area, he clearly felt tens of thousands of gazes focusing on him like searchlights. Those gazes were filled with awe, curiosity, scrutiny, and a complex emotion of facing an unknown expert. The audience seating area, which had previously had some faint noises, became so quiet you could hear a pin drop the moment he appeared.

At the same time, Lin Muyang's perception spread out, and he immediately discovered more unusual Auras. In the host's seats and the VIP viewing area, which had the best view, several figures appeared that had not been seen during the day. These people had restrained Auras, but just by sitting there quietly, they naturally exuded a special presence of someone who had long held a high position or had been through many battles, making them stand out from the ordinary audience and staff around them. Clearly, they were all "big shots" attracted by Lilia's earth-shattering performance during the day.

Among them, two figures were particularly eye-catching. One was a woman who looked to be only twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old, but Lin Muyang would never mistake her for an ordinary young woman. She possessed a face that was exquisite to the point of perfection, skin as crystalline as jade, and a pair of eyes as clear as water yet bottomless. A waterfall of jet-black hair was simply tied into a bundle and rested diagonally across her chest.

She wore a well-tailored moon-white long dress, standing tall and straight. Sitting there quietly, she seemed to be the center of the entire venue, naturally attracting all the light and attention. Her temperament was cold and noble, carrying an indescribable sense of holiness that made people feel awe just looking at her, and even gave them an urge to worship.

"Xu Ruohan?" Lin Muyang's heart trembled slightly; he immediately recognized this woman who could be called a legend in the Xia Kingdom. She was the only Summoner with an SSS-Rank Talent in the Xia Kingdom, a top-tier expert who had stepped into the "Nation-Guarding Level" ranks at only thirty-something years old! Her constitution was "Angel Affinity," and the summons under her command were all extremely powerful angels!

In the Xia Kingdom, her status and importance were absolutely not inferior to the other veteran Nation-Guarding Level Experts, and she was even more highly valued because of the unique nature and growth potential of a Summoner. After all, the strategic value of a top-tier Summoner who had developed to the extreme was immeasurable.

She actually came in person? It seemed the incident during the day had indeed caused quite a stir. Lin Muyang's gaze swept over Xu Ruohan without lingering. With his current mental attributes, he was not about to be intimidated by her presence. His attention was focused more on the middle-aged man beside Xu Ruohan.

That was a man who looked to be in his forties with a dashing and unrestrained temperament. He wore a pair of sunglasses that covered half his face, casually draped a long black trench coat over his body, and the corners of his mouth seemed to always hold a faint, elusive smile, forming a sharp contrast with the cold and immortal-like Xu Ruohan beside him.

Lin Muyang had no impression of this person; clearly, he was not a famous expert who often appeared in public. But to be able to sit beside Xu Ruohan with such a composed demeanor, his identity and strength were definitely not to be underestimated.

"It seems Lilia's performance during the day has fished out the real big fish." The corners of Lin Muyang's mouth curled up imperceptibly. He was not surprised by this; in fact, he had expected it. To get the mythic grade skill book for the national championship, showing sufficient strength and value was the only way. Exposing a part of it now, while it would attract attention, might not necessarily be a bad thing. At least, with preparations in place, his current comprehensive strength was enough to ensure his safety on Blue Star.

"Just as well, let these people see what a real 'genius' is." Lin Muyang thought calmly.

"Lin Muyang~!" Just then, a familiar and crisp female voice came from the front row, carrying a hint of surprise.

Lin Muyang looked in the direction of the voice and saw Su Qingyue standing up from a seat in the front row of the contestant area and walking quickly toward him. Today, she had changed into a deep blue combat outfit that was convenient for movement, outlining her slender figure, and a bright smile was on her beautiful face.

"Uh, Teacher Su? Why are you here?" Lin Muyang was a bit surprised. This was the contestant area; logically, non-contestants were not allowed to enter.

"Isn't it because your performance during the day was too astonishing?" Su Qingyue walked up, pursed her lips and smiled, her beautiful eyes shining as she looked at Lin Muyang as if inspecting a rare treasure, filled with amazement and anticipation. "Look, even Senior Xu and my father were alarmed, so they rushed over overnight to watch the match in person."

"Your father?" Lin Muyang was even more surprised. He looked at Su Qingyue, then subconsciously glanced at the dashing middle-aged man with sunglasses and a trench coat in the host's seat. It was hard to connect these two images.

"Yes, my father, Su Zongming." Su Qingyue nodded, her tone carrying a hint of imperceptible complexity. "One of the heads of the Xia Kingdom's Foreign Operations Department."

Su Zongming? Foreign Operations Department? Lin Muyang understood. This was obviously a powerful department with extremely high authority responsible for handling special affairs. He calmly activated his Aura and glanced at the middle-aged man.

"Level 233..." Seeing this level number, the corner of Lin Muyang's eye twitched imperceptibly, and he felt like laughing; this number was quite unique. However, a level of 233, combined with his status, definitely made him one of the top power-wielders in the Xia Kingdom.

"I see." Lin Muyang nodded. Even figures of this level were alarmed and came, which showed how much the official Xia Kingdom attached importance to this incident. He suddenly thought of the matter in Kimchi Country. He wondered if the Xia Kingdom had taken any action after receiving the information he provided about the temporary invalidation of the "revenge heavenly god" Park Jeong-hwan's talent? But now was clearly not the time to ask about this.

Soon, Su Qingyue familiarly led Lin Muyang and the two Elf Maidens to find a few connected empty seats in the front row of the contestant area and sat down. She seemed to have obtained some kind of permission to stay here temporarily.

After sitting down, Su Qingyue restrained her smile, lowered her voice, and her expression became more serious as she said to Lin Muyang: "Lin Muyang, I have to remind you of something. This afternoon, many Summoners who advanced to the second round, including Long Aotian, have been urgently preparing or even renting equipment with high Light Element resistance through various channels. Some have pushed their light resistance to over 85%, and have also paired it with some skills or states that reduce light attribute damage. They are clearly preparing specifically to target your Elf Priest."

As she spoke, her gaze glanced at Seraphina, who was sitting quietly on the other side of Lin Muyang, curiously looking at the surrounding environment. Although this Night Elf Maiden had a mysterious temperament and wore an elegant long dress, she did not look like she was of the light attribute; instead, she gave people a feeling of leaning toward shadows and the night.

"But fortunately," Su Qingyue's tone relaxed a bit as she looked at Seraphina and said, "I see that the Night Elf sister you brought this time shouldn't be of the light attribute, right? It seems their set of light resistance equipment will be prepared in vain."

In her view, Lin Muyang likely possessed more than one powerful summoned young lady. Facing targeted light resistance equipment, switching to a summon with a different attribute for battle was the most reasonable tactical choice.

"Oh, you mean her." Hearing this, Lin Muyang smiled and naturally reached out to ruffle Seraphina's soft purple hair. The Night Elf Maiden shrank her neck slightly but did not dodge. Her violet eyes looked at Lin Muyang with a hint of reliance. "She won't make a move today, just here to watch. As for the equipment with light element resistance..."

Lin Muyang paused and looked at Lilia, who was sitting upright beside him with her emerald eyes full of eagerness. His tone was casual yet determined: "It won't have much impact. Lilia, you will still be the one to fight tonight."

"Mm-hmm!" Lilia nodded vigorously, her small face full of confidence, as if she didn't take the opponent's potential 85%+ light resistance to heart at all.

Su Qingyue was stunned upon hearing this, a trace of astonishment flashing in her beautiful eyes, and then she felt it was a bit absurd. How much confidence did Lin Muyang have in his Elf Priest? Or was it that... the only summon under his command that currently possessed top-tier combat power was this Elf Priest? After all, from beginning to end, she had only seen Lilia make a move.

"This possibility... is not impossible." Su Qingyue thought to herself. Lin Muyang was still so young, and his number of summons was limited; it made perfect sense that he currently only had one summon with an SSS-Rank Talent. Even so, given the potential he had displayed, his future achievements were absolutely limitless; it was not impossible for him to reach the height of Senior Xu Ruohan.

"By the way, Lin Muyang," Su Qingyue shook off her stray thoughts and said seriously, "After all the matches are over in a while, there is something I need to tell you. This time, don't leave early like you did during the day after the fight."

Her gaze lingered on Lin Muyang, carrying a hint of solemnity and a trace of imperceptible closeness.

"Sure, no problem." Lin Muyang readily agreed. Anyway, there were only five ten-person melee matches in the second round, and it wouldn't take too long to finish. Waiting until all the matches were over to see what the official Xia Kingdom wanted to discuss with him was not inappropriate.

As for the "matter" Su Qingyue mentioned, Lin Muyang had a rough idea in his mind. It was nothing more than the official Xia Kingdom wanting to contact and communicate with him, perhaps to recruit, observe, or cooperate. He would naturally know the specific content when the time came.

Just as they were talking in low voices, the organizers had already completed the lottery and grouping for the second round, which was done before Lin Muyang returned, under the witness of Xu Ruohan and Su Zongming. A total of fifty contestants who advanced from the first round were divided into five groups, with ten people in each group, to conduct the second round of ten-person melee. The top two from each group would advance, ultimately producing ten winners to enter the third round of the round-robin tournament.

Since Lin Muyang and Senior Li Yun advanced from the same group in the first round, according to the rules, they would not be divided into the same group in the second round.

Soon, the grouping list was displayed on the magic light screen. Lin Muyang swept his gaze over the list of his group and raised his eyebrows slightly.

"Group 3... Long Aotian?" He saw the familiar name listed there, placed in the same group as him in Group 3.

"Yo, what a coincidence." The corners of Lin Muyang's mouth curled into a playful arc. "It seems this 'Ice Emperor's' journey in the Provincial Tournament tonight is likely to end here."

For this opponent who had once harbored hidden hostility toward him and whose fans had often provoked him, Lin Muyang naturally would not show mercy.

Hearing Lin Muyang's words, which were relaxed yet carried absolute confidence, Su Qingyue, who was sitting beside him, frowned slightly and couldn't help but remind him again: "Lin Muyang, don't underestimate Long Aotian. The information I received is that the set of light resistance equipment he got from Hong Wuliang has a base light element resistance of 85%, plus the resistance skills, potions, or equipment effects he might have learned himself... If your Elf Priest still uses light attribute attacks, it will be really very difficult to deal with him. His Frost Warrior defense is also not weak; if you can't resolve it quickly and fall into a protracted battle, you will be very passive in a melee."

Her tone carried concern; she was clearly truly worried. In her view, Lin Muyang's talent and potential were unparalleled, but he was young after all, and his level was still relatively low. Facing targeted tactics carefully prepared by veteran experts, even a slight carelessness could lead to failure. She did not want to see this genius, whom she thought so highly of, be stopped early due to tactical errors.