128: Chapter 129 Miss Gu

This stunning woman, dressed in a purple qipao with a cold yet melancholic temperament, was named Gu Shuanglin.

She was the eldest miss of the Gu Group, a business giant in Tianhai City, and the older sister of the lively and cheerful Gu Xiaoyu, six years her senior. The fact that the Gu Group could conduct such a massive business in this crisis-ridden era of Class Transferees was inseparable from the fact that its family members generally possessed outstanding talents.

Her younger sister, Gu Xiaoyu, had the SS-Rank Talent "Sword Heart Clarity," while the older sister, Gu Shuanglin, also possessed an SS-Rank Talent, and her profession was the same Summoner as Lin Muyang. At twenty-five years old, she had already reached level 124, a leveling speed that was considered outstanding among her peers.

On one hand, she had the backing of the Gu Group and enjoyed abundant resource support unimaginable to ordinary people. On the other hand, she had exceptional talent herself. More importantly, she possessed a powerful summon with an SSS-Rank Talent! With both combined, even if she only led this one main summon, her comprehensive combat power was enough to surpass many ordinary SSS-Rank Talent Class Transferees.

In the recently concluded Summoner Competition division for Tianhai City, she successfully won first place, a result she was quite satisfied with. After all, when she first participated four years ago, she was only in her seventies and didn't even make it into the top ten. This year, her goal was clear: to break into the national finals!

Because the overall strength of Tianhai City far exceeded that of ordinary cities, it received more qualifying spots for the Provincial Tournament, totaling ten. Although Tianhai City, Zhongnan City, and Qinghe City belonged to the Jiangnan Province administrative region, in the Summoner Provincial Tournament, contestants from these twenty-seven cities would compete on the same stage, with only four precious spots ultimately decided for the national finals.

In previous years, at least three of these four national spots for Jiangnan Province would be swept by top experts from Tianhai City.

"This Lin Muyang..."

At this moment, Gu Shuanglin's beautiful eyes were fixed on the information about Lin Muyang on her phone screen. The expression in her eyes shifted, eventually turning into deep thought.

The data clearly showed: Age eighteen, Summoner class, registered level: 56.

"Is this information wrong?" A look of incredible astonishment appeared on Gu Shuanglin's beautiful face. "A level 56 Summoner, and his summoned Elf Priest can be this violent?"

She clicked on one short video after another. In the footage, the holy Elf Priest either cleared the field with a wave of her hand using Holy Light Punishment, or fired nine arrows simultaneously to wipe out enemies in all directions. Facing the bombardment of a terrifying ice-type ultimate move, she didn't even move a step, and the pale golden barrier around her was indestructible.

Attack, defense, speed, range... From every angle, this completely exceeded the scope of a "level 56 Elf Priest summon" and even surpassed many level 100 experts!

"Could this be some kind of genius promotional video made by Zhongnan City?" Gu Shuanglin even had such suspicions in her heart. But reason told her that in the context of such a national competition, faking such exaggerated videos was almost impossible.

"Let me check his opponent's information..." She switched to the match record page. "Level 93 Frost Warrior, level 97 Night Elf Assassin, level 104 Orc Commander... The levels are all fine. Although the overall strength is a bit weaker than the same-tier contestants in Tianhai City, they are definitely not at a level that can be casually insta-killed by a level 56 summon..."

Gu Shuanglin frowned, unable to figure it out. Cross-level combat wasn't unheard of, but such an exaggerated crushing was beyond the scope of "cross-level," appearing more like an adult man barging into a kindergarten.

"Sister~ I'm home!" A crisp, lively voice with a hint of sweetness came from the door, accompanied by light footsteps. It was her younger sister, Gu Xiaoyu, returning home after a day of training.

"How was the competition? Did you successfully advance to the Provincial Tournament?" Gu Xiaoyu changed into soft slippers, hopped over to the sofa, and asked curiously.

"Mhm, it went smoothly, just as expected. This year, there should be a chance to impact the national finals." Gu Shuanglin replied casually, her gaze still not leaving the phone screen, her tone carrying a hint of oddity. "However, an incredible figure appeared in Zhongnan City. A Summoner named Lin Muyang, only level 56, actually crushed all his opponents and took first place in the city division."

"Ah?" Upon hearing this, Gu Xiaoyu's small face was full of astonishment, her first reaction being: "Is it because the contestants in Zhongnan City this year are too weak?"

"It's not a matter of being weak..." Gu Shuanglin shook her head with a bitter smile and handed the phone over. "You'll know once you watch the video yourself. This is the real genius."

Gu Xiaoyu curiously took the phone and clicked on the video with the highest view count. When she saw the Elf Priest Lilia unleash Holy Light Punishment, instantly clearing the arena, her small mouth formed an "O" shape. Seeing the Ice Prison Heaven Fall easily blocked by the golden barrier, she couldn't help but exclaim.

However, when the video finished playing, Gu Xiaoyu put down the phone, her big eyes shining, and blurted out:

"Wow! Is this genius brother named Lin Muyang? He looks so handsome!! His temperament is also so special; just standing there makes him feel so powerful!"

Gu Shuanglin: "???"

She looked at her sister speechlessly. She let her watch the terrifying combat power of the Elf Priest, and her attention went entirely to the Summoner's face???

However, after her sister's interruption, the shock and solemnity in her heart were diluted a little, leaving only a hint of being unable to laugh or cry.

Tonight, for countless people within Jiangnan Province who were paying attention to the Summoner Competition, especially those who had successfully advanced to the Provincial Tournament, many were destined to toss and turn, unable to sleep.

Contestants from other provinces might not know yet, but in the Summoner circles of the twenty-seven cities in Jiangnan Province, the news of "a peerless genius youth appearing in Zhongnan City" had already spread like wildfire.

People's reactions to this varied.

Some people scoffed, believing that it was purely because the overall level of Zhongnan City was too poor, picking a general from among the short, making that Lin Muyang appear powerful, but it wouldn't be enough to look at in Tianhai City.

Some people firmly believed that the Zhongnan City authorities were engaging in "god-making" propaganda, deliberately creating exaggerated video effects to attract eyeballs and traffic for local events.

Only less than a third, the contestants who truly possessed strength and vision, after carefully watching and analyzing the video, solemnly listed the name "Lin Muyang" as a potential formidable enemy in their Provincial Tournament list.

Gu Shuanglin was one of this third.

She did not belittle him in the slightest; instead, she displayed the rigor expected of a top contestant. She spent the night collecting all available public information, match footage, and even side-angle shots taken by some spectators about Lin Muyang, watching and analyzing them repeatedly.

Then, she began to make targeted preparations—or rather, a "collection" using family resources.

As the eldest miss of the Gu Group, she didn't even need to purchase many precious pieces of equipment and supplies; she only needed to retrieve them from the family's vast inventory and channels.

A set of top-tier equipment with extremely high basic Light Element resistance and additional defensive special effects was listed as her top priority. After all, the Light-attribute attack power displayed by Lin Muyang's Elf Priest was too terrifying.

In addition, powerful crowd control, slow-effect skill scrolls, high-level anti-stealth, and shield-breaking items were also included in her considerations. In her view, it was impossible for Lin Muyang to have only one powerful Elf Priest; his other summons likely possessed strange or powerful abilities as well, so she had to make multiple preparations.

However, the vast majority of contestants who had watched the video subconsciously still believed that Lin Muyang's other summons couldn't possibly be this perverted. After all, the combat power displayed by just one Elf Priest already required a heaven-defying combination of "Summoner + summon" both having SSS-Rank Talent to barely explain. A novice Summoner who was only level 56, could he have a second SSS-Rank summon? The probability of that was lower than winning the lottery jackpot!

You have to know, even the current Nation-Guarding Level Expert Xu Ruohan only successfully summoned her second SSS-Rank Angel when she reached around level 130. This Lin Muyang, no matter how monstrous, couldn't be more outrageous than the Xu Ruohan of that time, right?

Unfortunately, they would never know how huge the gap between their cognition and the truth was.

SSS-Rank Talent? For Lin Muyang, it was no longer the ceiling; it was even... perhaps just the starting point.

Meanwhile, inside the villa at Ziyun Mountain Villa.

Under the soft light, Lin Muyang was lazily half-lying on the spacious and comfortable leather sofa. Behind him, the Succubus Maiden Elabess knelt on the edge of the sofa, a pair of soft yet skillfully amazing slender hands massaging his shoulders and neck with moderate strength, the just-right pressure making him slightly narrow his eyes in comfort.

The Angel Maid Elena stood quietly to the side, holding a cup of herbal tea with just the right temperature and a faint fruity fragrance, which she would considerately hand over whenever Lin Muyang's gaze swept over.

After enjoying a moment of relaxation, Lin Muyang picked up a sci-fi, futuristic-looking tablet device nearby. This was a dedicated terminal issued by the authorities to those with National Treasury access, which had already completed identity binding and permission verification.

"t1 level National Treasury... Let me see what good things are there." Lin Muyang, full of expectation, logged into the internal network of the National Treasury.

The first thing he searched for was naturally "legendary-grade fire-attribute equipment" or "legendary-grade Fire Element Essence." However, after some searching, the results left him somewhat disappointed.

"There are a few legendary-grade pieces of equipment, but none are fire-attribute..." Lin Muyang rubbed his temples, feeling a bit of a headache. The next Nirvana of the little Feng Ling was just missing this last piece of legendary-grade Fire Element Essence. He didn't expect that even the National Treasury didn't have it in stock. It seemed the rarity of this item was even higher than he had anticipated.

Putting this thought aside for the moment, he switched the page to the category of 【origin skill book】. For him at this stage, high-quality equipment could indeed increase attributes, but what could truly bring about a qualitative change and had extremely high growth potential were Origin Skills.

The page refreshed, and virtual images of rows of origin skill books radiating different colored lusters and marked with detailed effects were displayed.

Lin Muyang's gaze quickly swept over, and he was soon attracted by two skill books.

The first one: 【Blurring Shadow (Origin)】

【Category: Thief/Assassin-type origin skill book】

【Effect: After learning, passively gain 20% dodge speed bonus. (This bonus only takes effect when successfully dodging an attack)】

【Level Up: Each level increase adds an additional 20% dodge speed bonus. When raised to level 20, trigger special effect: After successfully dodging an attack, there is a probability to condense a "Shadow Clone" that can last for a short time in place. When the main body releases a skill on any target, this "Shadow Clone" will simultaneously release the same skill on the same target (damage and effect are 50% of the original), and then the clone disappears.】

"A decent Assassin skill." Lin Muyang's eyes lit up. A 20% dodge speed bonus per level, stacking to level 20 would be a full 400%! Although it only took effect when dodging, for a high-agility Night Elf Assassin like Seraphina, combined with her own talent and skills, her survivability and entry timing would be greatly improved. The synchronized attack effect of the clone after level 20 could even further enhance her instant burst.

With almost no hesitation, Lin Muyang directly clicked the "Apply for Acquisition" button below this skill book.

After the application was submitted, the authorities would arrange for someone to deliver the item to the address he registered. With his t1 level permission, the delivery speed and priority were the highest, usually arriving the next day.

Immediately after, his gaze was attracted by the second skill book: 【One Sword No Thought (Origin)】

【Category: Swordsman-type origin skill book】

【Effect: After releasing, strengthen the next skill you release, increasing its final effect by 110%. Cooldown is 3600 seconds.】

【Level Up: Each level increase raises the strengthening effect by 5%, and the cooldown is slightly shortened. When raised to level 20, the effect changes: After releasing, strengthen the next three skills you release, with each strengthening effect being 300% of the skill's final effect.】

"Hiss... This one is even fiercer!" Lin Muyang couldn't help but gasp. After reaching level 20, it directly strengthens the next three skills, with each skill's effect increased by 300%! If it was an attack skill, that was four times the damage! If it was a buff or healing skill, it was four times the effect! This was simply a god-tier burst skill!

"Such a level of Origin Skill, and it's actually sitting in the National Treasury with no one exchanging it?" Lin Muyang found it incredible. But on second thought, he quickly understood the reason.

First of all, there were very few people with t1 level National Treasury permission, no more than thirty in the whole country. Secondly, and most importantly, both of these skill books had extremely harsh upgrade conditions, one could even say they were "anti-human"!

【Blurring Shadow】 was a purely passive dodge skill with no active damage, and it couldn't gain experience through killing enemies. Its only upgrade path was "successfully dodging attacks that posed a threat to oneself."

This meant the learner had to repeatedly place themselves in danger, dancing on the edge of a knife, and risk their life to accumulate that little bit of experience. One mistake could mean complete ruin. Where would ordinary assassins have the guts and conditions to practice this?

And 【One Sword No Thought】 was even more outrageous. It had no damage itself, and couldn't be upgraded quickly through conventional use (the cooldown was as long as one hour). To increase its level, one could only rely on the meager experience share obtained by killing enemies with its strengthened skills.

This meant that the learner had to frequently use this precious, long-cooldown burst skill on "clearing small monsters" to slowly increase its level, with an efficiency so low it was appalling, completely contradicting its positioning as a "trump card."

"No wonder no one cares about it... This kind of skill is practically tailor-made for a 'torture king'." Lin Muyang shook his head and laughed. But his eyes were flashing with excitement.

"However, probably only with conditions like mine can one afford to learn such 'luxury' skills, right?"

For his summoned young ladies, death was not the end, but a return to the summoning space to wait for the cooldown. They could risk their lives without hesitation, challenge limits, and hone skills in the most extreme and efficient way. And those long, despair-inducing skill cooldowns, in front of him who possessed God-Tier Auras like 【Infinite Firepower】, would also be shortened to an acceptable range.

Without hesitation, Lin Muyang clicked "Apply for Acquisition" again.

After adding the two desirable origin skill books to the application list, Lin Muyang browsed other skill books for a while, and finding nothing else that really caught his eye, he switched categories.

This time, he clicked on the 【Dungeon / secret realm scroll (Permanent / One-time)】 category.

For him now, the most urgent need was still to increase his level. As long as his level went up, attributes, equipment, and skills would all rise accordingly. And high-quality secret realm scrolls could not only provide massive experience but also produce high-tier equipment and skill books, killing multiple birds with one stone.

From this perspective, choosing precious secret realm scrolls directly was undoubtedly the most cost-effective choice and the one most in line with his current development path.