138: Chapter 139 The Competition Begins

This time, he consecutively activated over a dozen Emperor Level secret realm scrolls, ranging from level 70 to 75, which he had exchanged from the National Treasury.

The purpose of activating these scrolls was purely for—experience! Massive amounts of experience!

He no longer deliberately pursued equipment drops or skill books; all his tactics revolved around clearing the monsters in the secret realm as efficiently and rapidly as possible to reap that torrential flow of experience.

Scroll after scroll was consumed, and one secret realm after another was cleared with brute force.

Experience points, like a breached river, surged madly into the bodies of Lin Muyang and the young ladies participating in the battles.

When the energy of the last scroll was exhausted, Lin Muyang's level had surged from level 70 to 73 with unstoppable momentum!

Gaining three levels in three days at the level 70 stage was terrifyingly fast.

The one who gained the most was undoubtedly Feng Ling, who had just completed her second Nirvana.

Under the blessing of the experience Aura and the frantic dungeon grinding, her level skyrocketed like a rocket, from level 40 after Nirvana to level 60!

She had once again touched the level cap of her current stage and met the level requirements for her third Nirvana.

Fortunately, the materials required for the third Nirvana did not increase to the mythic grade level as Lin Muyang had previously feared.

The condition remained fire-attribute legendary-grade element essence, though the quantity increased from 25 to 50 pieces.

Although this number had doubled and the difficulty of collection had increased significantly, it was still within the "legendary-grade" category.

If it had increased to the mythic grade, that would have been a real headache.

After all, every piece of mythic grade equipment and material was a strategic treasure on Blue Star, with a global stock of only a few hundred.

They were the foundation upon which Nation-Guarding Level Experts relied to make their names and intimidate all directions; they were priceless, rare, and impossible to obtain by mere chance.

For Lin Muyang, as long as he was given enough time and opportunity, it was not impossible for the number of mythic grade equipment he possessed alone in the future to exceed the global total.

However, this required him to be able to consistently challenge and clear secret realms above the legendary-grade.

legendary-rank secret realms were not only extremely rare but also terrifyingly difficult, usually requiring a team of level 100 or above to even attempt.

Even if he could enter now, the mythic grade equipment he obtained could not be used immediately due to level restrictions.

Therefore, collecting 50 pieces of legendary-grade Fire Element Essence, while a daunting task, was still a goal that could be achieved in the short term.

When this batch of secret realms was finished, Feng Ling's attributes had undergone earth-shaking changes.

The accumulation from two Nirvanas allowed her total basic four-dimensional attributes to break through the 3200-point mark!

Coupled with a set of top-tier mage equipment carefully prepared by Lin Muyang—primarily level 60 Emperor Level gear, accented with several pieces of epic-grade items—and finally, the terrifying amplification from Lin Muyang's multiple God-Tier Auras...

At this moment, Feng Ling's final attribute panel reached a staggering level: Strength, Constitution, and Agility had all broken through the 50,000 mark, while Spirit, her core output attribute, had brazenly broken through 80,000 points!

This was more than four times her attributes before Nirvana!

Each time she changed into higher-level equipment after Nirvana, her strength underwent a qualitative leap.

More importantly, she unlocked the passive divine skill "Destructive Flame."

Now, with every gesture, any fire skill she used could carry the terrifying effect of "World Purifying Flame," which burned everything and ignored resistance.

Her burst and sustained output capabilities had already jumped to make her the team's undisputed strongest artillery, with destructive power surpassing all the others.

"Feng Ling, at your current level, I'm afraid even I wouldn't dare to take your full-force strike head-on."

Lin Muyang looked at the Phoenix Heavenly Maiden, whose temperament was becoming increasingly noble and whose golden eyes seemed to have a sun burning within them, and smiled with satisfaction.

He was full of anticipation for her performance in the Provincial Tournament and really wanted to see what a shocking scene it would be when such a Phoenix Heavenly Maiden, who controlled the "World Purifying Flame," displayed her might on the arena.

If it were before, Lin Muyang might have instructed her to conserve her strength and not reveal her trump cards too early.

But today is different from the past.

After reaching level 70, the number of Auras he could activate simultaneously reached 15, and his offensive, defensive, and support methods were more comprehensive.

Even if he really encountered an opponent he couldn't defeat, he had sufficient confidence to protect himself or even counterattack.

It could be said that for tomorrow's Provincial Tournament, he and his young ladies were armed to the teeth and fully prepared.

However, all this crazy improvement and transformation took place beneath the deep sea, within the perfect concealment of the Divine Concealment Aura.

In the eyes of everyone outside, Lin Muyang had been holed up in his villa at Ziyun Mountain Villa, showing no movement.

During this period, it was not as if there were no sensitive media or curious individuals who tried to approach and investigate.

However, all attempts to get close to the villa area or spy through equipment like drones were silently neutralized and driven away by the two top experts from the Xia Kingdom who were on rotating guard duty.

Now, Lin Muyang's confidentiality level had long been raised to the level of national strategic talent; if not for his active step into the public eye due to the Summoner Competition, the Xia Kingdom's officials would not even have allowed his existence to be known by ordinary media.

In fact, after news circulated about Lin Muyang's "dual SSS-Rank Talent," "suspected mystery backer," and "Elf Priest's heaven-defying combat power," international undercurrents had already begun to surge.

Many secretive Class Transferees from abroad who were skilled in infiltration and espionage had already quietly sneaked into the Xia Kingdom through various legal or illegal channels, targeting Lin Muyang and information related to him.

The Xia Kingdom's national security and counter-espionage agencies had also long been operating at full capacity, unfolding multiple confrontations in silence over the past few days, successfully intercepting, expelling, and even eliminating multiple batches of intruders with ulterior motives.

It could be said that during these three days when Lin Muyang was peacefully grinding levels in the deep sea and his strength was soaring, the shadow war between the Xia Kingdom and other nations in the fields of intelligence and security had become increasingly intense.

It was just that this bloodshed was firmly isolated from his world.

The next day, early morning.

Tianhai City, this super-city which was not the capital of Jiangnan Province but surpassed the entire province in terms of scale, economy, and the average strength of its Class Transferees, ushered in its most bustling days, which occurred once every four years.

The Provincial Tournament stage of the Jiangnan Province Summoner Competition officially kicked off here!

The competition venue was located in the city center of Tianhai City, that iconic, modern martial arts stadium that looked like a giant bird spreading its wings.

This venue was grand in scale and advanced in facilities, capable of accommodating over 150,000 spectators to watch the matches live, and the strength of its defensive barrier was enough to withstand the aftermath of a brief confrontation between Nation-Guarding Level Experts.

At this moment, although there was still some time before the first match of the morning began, the area around the martial arts stadium was already bustling with noise and excitement.

Spectators holding tickets poured in from all directions, their faces filled with excitement and anticipation.

The stands, which could accommodate 150,000 people, had their tickets sold out days ago, and the ticket prices on the black market had been inflated to astronomical figures.

For Class Transferee enthusiasts in Jiangnan Province and even neighboring provinces, this was undoubtedly an event not to be missed.

Everyone was enthusiastically discussing the star contestants who might appear today.

First was the veteran expert mentioned the most—Shi Yongxin.

This bald Summoner, who was nearly sixty years old and wore a string of Buddhist prayer beads on his wrist year-round, was the sixth-place winner of the previous National Competition!

He possessed the SS-Rank Talent "Buddha Seal Amplification," which allowed him to apply Buddha seals with different effects to the various "Martial Monk" type summons he summoned, making him integrated in both offense and defense, and extremely difficult to deal with.

At the National Competition four years ago, he had defeated a top genius from Jingdu City head-on, his popularity unrivaled at the time.

This year he returned, his strength even more unfathomable than four years ago; he was the biggest favorite to win the championship as a local of Tianhai City, and was also regarded as a strong contender for the champion of this Provincial Tournament.

Second was the biggest dark horse of the Tianhai City division this year—the eldest daughter of the Gu Group, Gu Shuanglin.

This female Summoner with an SS-Rank Talent had stunned everyone in this city competition, relying on her "Plant Affinity" constitution to summon powerful plant-type summons like the "World Tree," sweeping through numerous opponents with crushing momentum, and finally finishing second in Tianhai City, just behind Shi Yongxin.

Her growth trajectory could be called inspirational—four years ago, when she first participated, she was only level 70-something, her results were dismal, and she was mocked as having a "waste constitution"; four years later, she had accumulated her strength and risen strongly, her "World Tree" even able to briefly contend with Shi Yongxin's trump card summon, and she was regarded as one of the most promising newcomers in this competition.

However, at this very moment, whether in the mouths of the live audience or in the barrage comments on the online streaming platforms, the name mentioned most frequently and debated most fiercely was not the two local powerhouses mentioned above.

It was—Zhongnan City, Lin Muyang!

"Look! The official contestant list and basic information have been updated! Lin Muyang, level 73? Holy crap, he went up 17 levels in three days? Did he take a rocket or something?!"

"Is that for real? Didn't they say he was level 56 before? It's only been a few days!"

"The officials must have made a mistake, or he hid his real level before! How could he level up so fast?"

"Even if he's level 73, so what? Shi Yongxin is level 187, Gu Shuanglin is level 124; the level suppression is right there!"

"But have you watched the videos of his Elf Priest? That damage, that defense—it's not something that should exist at that level!"

"Videos are videos; the Provincial Tournament rules are different! In the first round of the group stage, everyone must send at least four different summons to fight one match each! Lin Muyang only has an Elf Priest that's worth watching; what about the other three? Pulled out at the last minute to make up the numbers? Who could they possibly beat?"

"Exactly! Summoners don't compete on how strong a single summon is, but on overall team depth and tactical synergy! He's a newcomer; his foundation is too shallow."

"I think he's just a product of the officials trying to create a god; we'll see the truth in the Provincial Tournament. I bet he'll reveal his true colors in the first round!"

"You can't say that for sure. What if his other summons are also strong?"

"Oh, give it a rest. How long has he been a Class Transferee? Cultivating one Elf Priest to that level is already a miracle; could he have a second or third one? I don't believe it."

In the spectator stands, various sounds of discussion, skepticism, and anticipation were intertwined.

Although the vast majority of people were shocked by Lin Muyang's performance in the city competition, based on common sense, they were not optimistic about his prospects in the Provincial Tournament.

The level gap, the disadvantage in the number and depth of summons, the lack of competition experience... all these were seen as obstacles he could not overcome.

Only a very small number of people, perhaps because they had seen more detailed internal intelligence, or perhaps purely out of intuition, vaguely felt that this young man might bring surprises once again.

Amidst the bustling crowd entering, a young man with a complex expression and a look of lingering fear, accompanied by an old man with a steady Aura, walked toward the spectator stands, looking slightly silent.

It was the s-rank young swordsman who had previously provoked Lin Muyang in Zhongnan City and was instead casually beaten into serious injury by the Elf Princess Lilia.

He had barely been discharged from the hospital three days ago and immediately heard the news that Lin Muyang had been dominating in the city competition and was hailed as a "peerless genius."

Looking back at the scene where he was "casually" defeated, he only felt his scalp go numb and his back turn cold.

He was now immensely grateful that the other party had really just "casually" taught him a lesson; if he had been even slightly serious, he would likely be a dead man already.

The war drums of the Provincial Tournament were about to sound.

And everyone was unaware that the true power contained within the 73-level youth, who was being repeatedly discussed, questioned, or anticipated by them, had already exceeded the boundaries of their imagination.

A storm was quietly brewing within this magnificent venue capable of accommodating 150,000 people.