143: Chapter 144 National-Level Genius

"It seems this kid is much stronger than we imagined, and... much more dangerous."

In the organizers' seats, Sword Saint Liu Qingtian leaned back lazily in his comfortable chair, stroking his long snow-white beard with one hand while his gaze focused intently on the arena below, where the next match was being prepared. However, the usual relaxed expression on his face had long since vanished, replaced by a solemnity like the heavy air before a mountain storm.

On the surface, he was a senior expert who had come to watch the battles and support the younger generation. In reality, almost his entire focus had already spread out like invisible sword intent, transforming into a precise and vast sensory network that covered every inch of space within a radius of dozens of kilometers, centered on the Tianhai City Martial Arts Hall!

The flow of air, subtle ripples of energy, and even the low-voiced conversations of pedestrians on the streets not far away could not escape his perception, which was renowned for the Heart Sword.

At this moment, within his 'Heart Web,' he had clearly captured more than one 'shadow' emitting obscure and powerful auras. Like specters under the cover of night, they were quietly wandering the peripheral areas of the Tianhai City Martial Arts Hall. These people moved with extreme stealth, blending perfectly with the surrounding buildings, shadows, and even the crowds. Had it not been for Liu Qingtian's profound cultivation and minute perception, they would have been nearly impossible to detect.

Undoubtedly, these uninvited guests were all foreign powerhouses drawn by this Jiangnan Province Summoner Competition—or rather, by the genius youth who had emerged out of nowhere during the competition: Lin Muyang! They had infiltrated Xia Country through legal or illegal channels and were now like sharks smelling blood, casting scrutinizing, evaluating, and even malicious gazes from the darkness.

When a genius who clearly transcends conventional understanding and possesses near-infinite potential appears in another country, the international reaction is never limited to simple congratulations or observation. Recruitment, bribery, temptation, and even... assassination are all plays that might be staged. Those long-standing foreign powers with deep foundations hold mythic grade resources, forbidden knowledge, and even ancient secret methods involving soul contracts that possess an irresistible allure for any genius eager to grow strong quickly and climb to the peak.

Historically, it was not unheard of for native geniuses of Xia Country to ultimately choose to leave their homeland under the staggering price of 'choice of any mythic grade equipment,' 'sharing of ancient inheritance secret methods,' 'national enshrined status,' or even 'clues to the mystery of eternal life' promised by the opposition. Some even turned around to become top-tier powerhouses deterring regions for other countries. Regarding this, although the Xia Country officials were heartbroken, they were also helpless. Resources were limited, and the state could not satisfy every need of every genius. The alienation caused by uneven distribution often became the best breakthrough point for foreign forces.

"This time, no matter what, we cannot let history repeat itself." Liu Qingtian appeared to be enjoying the match, but in fact, he was already engaged in a serious exchange with Zhou Wenyuan beside him through an extremely secretive method of voice transmission.

"Even if he doesn't get the national championship rewards this time, we must find a way to procure at least one mythic grade core resource for him from the National Treasury or other channels. We must ensure his growth speed doesn't slow down due to a lack of resources, and even more so, we cannot give outsiders an opportunity to exploit."

Zhou Wenyuan nodded slightly and replied via transmission: "Indeed. The potential this boy has shown can no longer be summarized by the word 'genius.' Comparing his growth trajectory and combat performance at the same stage to Ruohan back then... this boy is clearly even superior. We must view him as a National Destiny-level existence, a rank higher than a Nation-Guarding Level seed, to be protected and nurtured. No amount of resource tilting would be excessive."

The two veteran Nation-Guarding experts quickly reached a consensus. In their hearts, Lin Muyang's value had been elevated to an unprecedented strategic height. He was not just a powerhouse who might become Nation-Guarding Level in the future; he was more likely an epoch-making existence who could lead Xia Country to occupy an absolute advantage in the future international landscape.

Xu Ruohan, sitting in the middle, acted as if she hadn't heard the private exchange and high evaluation of the two seniors. Her cold and beautiful profile still faced the arena, but her eyes, which seemed able to pierce through all the mysteries of the world, remained focused—albeit subtly—on the black-haired youth in the contestant area and the group of girls around him, who had different temperaments but were equally powerful.

As a fellow Summoner, Xu Ruohan knew better than anyone how terrifying the strategic value of a top-tier Summoner could be once they grew up. It was by no means one plus one equals two, but a terrifying force that grew geometrically. She had always believed that the only ones who could truly stand shoulder to shoulder with her at the top of the world in the future would be top-tier existences who were also Summoners.

And Lin Muyang, this youth who seemed impossibly young and whose rise was incredibly fast, was undoubtedly sprinting toward that direction at a jaw-dropping speed. Every girl he summoned seemed born to break common sense. The Elf Priest, the Phoenix Heavenly Maiden, the Night Elf Assassin... every single one of them displayed terrifying talent that touched upon the essence of different powers.

What Xu Ruohan found even more unfathomable was that behind Lin Muyang, there seemed to be another even more mysterious figure standing in the shadows, someone with even more bizarre and hard-to-defend methods. That existence possessed incredible abilities such as forced control and inducing strange negative states, and their identity remained a mystery to this day. With such an existence protecting him from the shadows, Lin Muyang's own safety factor had undoubtedly increased significantly.

Of course, not everyone could view Lin Muyang's rise as relatively calmly as Xu Ruohan. At this moment, in certain corners of the spectator stands within the Martial Arts Hall, the atmosphere was completely different.

For example, in the viewing area of the local Tianhai City tycoon Loushi Group, the atmosphere was enthusiastic. The young disciples were excitedly discussing the previous battle, cheering for their eldest young miss Gu Shuanglin while also expressing amazement toward Lin Muyang. The Gu family had brought over a hundred people this time, creating a grand spectacle.

However, not far away, the viewing area of the Loushi Group—another Tianhai City tycoon—appeared exceptionally desolate and lonely, with only four people sitting sparsely. Their expressions were complex, with fear and lingering dread that were hard to conceal. Their gazes would occasionally flicker toward Lin Muyang in the contestant area before quickly shifting away, as if looking for one more second would invite disaster.

The Loushi Group was once one of the top tycoons in Tianhai City, but now they were overwhelmed by the mysterious 'mental derangement' of the family's direct heir, Lou Tianyu—a strange illness that left him occasionally insane and unable to care for himself. Their prestige was nowhere near what it used to be. And the source of everything was said to have countless ties to Zhongnan City, to that mysterious 'solo clearing genius,' and even to this Lin Muyang before them.

"Back then... how exactly did Young Master Tianyu offend such an existence?" A high-level representative of the Loushi Group wiped the cold sweat that had unconsciously seeped from his forehead, his heart filled with dread and bitterness. "Looking at it now, if that mysterious big shot hadn't just caused Young Master Tianyu's mental derangement as a slight punishment to scare him off... I'm afraid back then, if Lin Muyang or any of the girls beside him had made a move, Young Master Tianyu would have..."

He didn't dare think further. Compared to the terrifying strength of those girls on the arena who could turn powerful enemies into ash with a wave of their hands, Lou Tianyu's bit of cultivation was simply like an ant. Within the Loushi Group, they no longer dared to harbor any thoughts of dissatisfaction or revenge against Lin Muyang. Instead, they were urgently discussing how to choose the right time and what kind of humble posture to adopt to go and sincerely apologize to Lin Muyang, hoping to resolve this inexplicable 'grudge.'

The panic of the Loushi Group was just a tiny ripple in the storm caused by Lin Muyang.

As the Provincial Tournament progressed, especially after the Phoenix Heavenly Maiden and Night Elf Assassin successively displayed crushing strength, news about the 'appearance of a peerless Summoner genius in Tianhai City, Xia Country' had already swept through the intelligence networks of major global forces like a hurricane!

"Xia Country, Tianhai City, suspected double SSS-Rank Talent Summoner, age eighteen, changed class a month ago, level seventy-plus, already has three summons displaying terrifying combat power touching the law level, suspected to possess an unknown talent or mysterious inheritance beyond SSS-Rank!"

Reports like these, marked 'Top Secret' and 'Highest Priority,' were placed on the desks of national politicians, military high commands, heads of ancient families, and leaders of secret organizations. Countless eyes across the oceans locked their gazes onto this land in the East, onto that massive Martial Arts Hall in Tianhai City.

Not long ago, Xia Country had just produced a mysterious solo clearing genius who could force hundreds of experts into a deep sleep and rob the national bank, causing undercurrents to surge in international society. How much time had passed since then? Yet another Summoner genius had emerged—so young, so domineering, and with potential that seemed like a bottomless pit!

At this moment, representatives of Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, and some surrounding countries and forces, who had already heard the rumors through various channels and proactively shown goodwill to Xia Country, breathed a sigh of relief, even feeling somewhat fortunate for their foresight. Meanwhile, the high-level officials and top powerhouses of certain countries that had friction or competitive relationships with Xia Country, such as Japan and Kimchi Country, saw their faces turn incredibly ugly—even faintly pale—the moment they received the intelligence.

Two in a row! Both were top-tier geniuses with potential so terrifying it was impossible to estimate! And their styles were completely different: one was mysterious and unfathomable, the other domineering and peerless! If these two were allowed to grow smoothly, with both stars shining, what kind of terrifying supplement would Xia Country's top combat power receive?

The future international landscape might truly be completely rewritten! By then, the 'good days' of certain countries would likely truly come to an end. A sense of crisis and certain dark thoughts quietly sprouted in the hearts of some people.

More than three hours later, as the sky grew dark, the Tianhai City Martial Arts Hall remained brightly lit and bustling with noise. The first round of group matches for the Jiangnan Province Summoner Competition finally came to a complete end.

The results were somewhat beyond Lin Muyang's expectations. Due to the powerful performance of the second group he was in—especially his own crushing total victory—it had brought immense psychological pressure and combat power depletion to the other contestants in the same group. For his last two matches, his opponents' strength was already relatively weak. Even more unfortunately, their main summons had been successively damaged or even killed in previous matches, resulting in them having no summons strong enough to be dispatched to the arena at the end.

According to the competition rules, if one could not dispatch a summon that met the requirements and reached a certain combat power standard, it would be deemed a forfeit. Thus, for Lin Muyang's final two matches, his opponents both forfeited directly. This caused his original plan to let the Nine-tailed Fox Maiden Su Daji go onto the arena for some experience to fall through.

"It seems I can only wait for the next round." Lin Muyang didn't mind this much. He patted the head of Su Daji, who was drooping her fox ears in disappointment, and comforted her.

During the halftime break, the organizers prepared an extremely sumptuous energy meal for all the contestants and their summons. There was a wide variety, and the nutrition was scientifically balanced, aimed at helping the contestants quickly recover their stamina and mana to meet the upcoming brutal knockout stage in their best state.

Meanwhile, the organizing staff were busily arranging the groupings and matchups for the second round of the knockout stage.

Based on a comprehensive ranking of points and kill counts from the first round of group matches, the eight highest-ranked individuals would be cross-matched against the eight lowest-ranked individuals.

It was worth mentioning that starting from the second round, the competition format would change from one-on-one duels to 'squad combat,' which tested team coordination and tactical literacy even more! Each Summoner needed to dispatch three summons to form a small combat team and engage in a team duel against the opponent's three summons on the arena. The winner would advance, and the loser would be directly eliminated. There were no loser's brackets, greatly increasing the brutality.

In the first round, those who maintained a perfect victory record besides Lin Muyang included the 'Monk Summoner' Shi Yongxin from the seventh group, as well as Gu Shuanglin, who was also from the seventh group. These three would serve as seeded players and be drawn by the system to face the three lowest-ranking qualifiers from the first round.

Soon, the halftime break ended, and the matchup list for the second round of the knockout stage was announced simultaneously through the magic light screens in the venue and the contestants' dedicated terminals.

Lin Muyang picked up his phone and looked at the information popping up on the screen:

"Second Round Knockout Stage, Match One."

"Opposing Sides:"

"Zhongnan City, Lin Muyang"

"VS"

"Hangliu City, Li Yiyao"

Below was the basic data of his opponent.

Li Yiyao, female, thirty-one years old, Level 94, SS-Rank Talent 'Wraith Whisper,' Summoner constitution is 'Daughter of Wraiths.' The profile picture showed a woman with beautiful features and a somewhat cold, scholarly air. Due to her outstanding appearance and unique summoning system, she was called the 'Summoner Goddess' by many fans online.

Her summons were uniformly various wraith-type creatures, which was the key to her being able to overcome all obstacles and reach the second round of the Provincial Tournament. The greatest characteristic of wraith-type summons was their extremely high 'ethereal' or 'spirit body' attributes, making them almost completely immune to pure physical attacks!

This gave her a near-absolute advantage when facing the vast majority of melee physical types and even some ranged opponents who relied on physical projectiles. Opponents often had formidable attack power but couldn't hit or harm her wraiths, leaving them to be passively beaten and ultimately forced into a helpless defeat.

"Daughter of Wraiths... immune to physical damage?" Lin Muyang quickly browsed the information, the corners of his mouth curling up imperceptibly. This trait might be troublesome for others, but for him...

"In this round, one of the opponent's summons can be banned in advance..." Lin Muyang looked at the list of summons registered by Li Yiyao. On it were several eerie wraith pictures and names, things like 'Wailing Banshee,' 'Soul-Devouring Specter,' 'Faceless Wraith'... the names were quite scary, and the pictures all looked like gray, semi-transparent, clawing ghost shadows. Looking at them for too long even made him feel a bit face-blind.

"Forget it, they all look about the same. I can't be bothered to specifically ban one." Lin Muyang casually closed the opponent's summon details page. In the face of absolute strength and abundant countermeasures, whether the opponent was a Wailing Banshee or a Faceless Wraith made little difference.

As for this Summoner Goddess Li Yiyao herself, the data showed that because she dealt with eerie wraiths all year round, her temperament was on the cold side. Coupled with her special profession, she was still single, and some fans online joked that she could 'only be viewed from afar.' Thinking of this, Lin Muyang actually felt the girl was a bit pitiful.

Of course, this bit of pity wouldn't affect his next actions in the slightest.

"Running into me, you can only consider your luck to be not very good." Lin Muyang put away his phone, his gaze calmly looking toward the arena. "A three-on-three team battle, huh... Never mind three-on-three, even if it were one-on-three, there shouldn't be any pressure."

He had already begun to quickly conceptualize in his mind which three girls to send onto the stage to ensure victory while also giving them proper combat coordination practice. Feng Ling's 'World Purifying Flame' clearly countered all spirit-body wraiths; Lilia's holy light similarly possessed the effect of purifying evil and damaging spirit bodies; Seraphina's 'Blood Shadow Flying Dagger' carried rule-based cutting, which might also be effective against spirit bodies; and then there was the Nine-tailed Fox Maiden Su Daji's mental control... it seemed there were many choices.

"In that case, I'll send..." Lin Muyang soon reached a decision. For the first battle of the second round, he intended to use a more efficient, almost textbook manner to tell everyone that his strength was comprehensive and without blind spots. No matter what type the opponent was, before him, there was only one outcome: being crushed.