169: Chapter 170 The Deal is Made

And this 【purgatory demon sea】 scroll before him—judging by its description, its core environment consists of extreme, scorching lava and hellfire, and its demonic creatures are highly likely to be fire- or demon-related. For Feng Ling, who is a Phoenix and controls the Nirvana Fire, this environment would not only fail to suppress her, but would likely be a massive boost! It might even be the perfect opportunity for her to comprehend higher-level fire laws and accelerate her Nirvana process!

If he could successfully clear this secret realm, given its epic-grade quality and massive scale, the probability of it producing large amounts of high-tier fire-attribute equipment, materials, and even skill books was extremely high! These were all fuel urgently needed for Feng Ling's Nirvana. Last time Feng Ling underwent Nirvana, she consumed dozens of legendary-grade equipment, most of which were fire-attribute. To complete the next, even more critical Nirvana this time, the resources required would only be greater, and the quality requirements even higher. This 【purgatory demon sea】 scroll was truly a timely help!

"In addition to all the secret realm scrolls on the list between level 72 and level 100," Lin Muyang looked up, his gaze calm yet firm as he looked at Su Zongming, his finger gently tapping the icon of the 【purgatory demon sea】 on his phone screen, "I also want this level 165 epic-grade secret realm scroll, 【purgatory demon sea】."

"What? This one?!"

The smile on Su Zongming's face instantly froze, replaced by intense shock and disbelief. He had completely not expected Lin Muyang's appetite to be so large! Asking for dozens of mid-to-high-level Sovereign-rank and epic-grade scrolls earlier, although numerous and valuable, was still within his expectations and capacity to bear. After all, those scroll levels were relatively suitable for Lin Muyang's current level, and it made sense to use them to bring up the young ladies.

But this 【purgatory demon sea】 was completely different! This was a level 165 epic-grade secret realm! And it was an ultra-large-scale 32-person one! Its difficulty was so high that it would be enough to make the vast majority of top-tier teams below level 200 shrink back! What did Lin Muyang, a Summoner who was only level 70-something, want with this scroll?

Let alone fighting, just entering that extremely harsh environment would likely be impossible to endure for even a few seconds! Did he want to hoard it and wait until his level was high enough to use it later? But who knows how long that would take? Moreover, the official handling of this scroll had already been put on the agenda, and there was even a preliminary plan!

Su Zongming's expression became somewhat unsightly. He rubbed his hands, organized his thoughts, and tried to explain in a polite yet clear tone: "Brother Lin Muyang, it's not that I'm unwilling to give it to you, it's just that the situation with this scroll is a bit special. It is one of the highest-value items seized by our department in this operation, and its attributes are special, and its scale is large, so the authorities attach great importance to it."

He lowered his voice: "To be honest, the department has already formulated a special strategy plan for this scroll, and has even started secretly recruiting experts who meet the level and class requirements nationwide. Just gathering the qualified team members has taken nearly half a month, and now more than twenty people have been assembled, all of whom are experienced and well-coordinated experts.

Even with this, we dare not say we can definitely clear it in one go. We still have to prepare a reserve team and formulate emergency plans for failure to prevent the epic-grade BOSS inside from rushing out and endangering reality... This is a major matter that affects the whole situation!"

Su Zongming looked at Lin Muyang, his tone sincere but helpless: "If you wanted other scrolls, even legendary-grade ones, I could find a way to get them for you. But this one involves too much and is no longer something I can decide personally. Even if I risked my reputation to apply for it, the higher-ups would never agree to hand it over to someone who isn't even level 80 yet, even a genius like you. The risk is too great, and no one can afford the responsibility."

His meaning was very clear: This scroll was too important and too dangerous to be covered by a private transaction. The authorities had already invested huge amounts of manpower and material resources into preparing the strategy, and it was impossible to change the plan and give you the scroll just because of a word from you, Lin Muyang. Furthermore, even if I gave it to you, what could you do? Just keep it and look at it? Or take it for an adventure, then most likely fail, and trigger an unpredictable disaster?

Lin Muyang listened quietly to Su Zongming's explanation, his face expressionless, only his finger still gently tapping the 【purgatory demon sea】 icon on the phone screen, seemingly lost in thought.

Seeing this, Su Zongming thought Lin Muyang had taken a fancy to the high value of this scroll and wanted to hoard it, or had other long-term plans, so he continued to persuade: "Brother, take my advice, this scroll really doesn't suit your current stage. I know you might have some special means, but level suppression is the hard truth. In a level 165 epic-grade secret realm, the mobs inside might be level 170 or 180, not to mention the BOSS, the attribute suppression is too severe. No matter how strong your summons are, the level gap is there, and going in is just a suicide mission. Why not focus on leveling up first, and wait until later..."

"If there is no such scroll," Lin Muyang suddenly spoke, interrupting Su Zongming, his tone calm but carrying an unquestionable determination, "then our deal will likely not be able to be reached. Bringing people to level up will seriously slow down my pace. If there is no compensation of sufficient weight, it will be hard for me to agree."

He raised his eyes and looked at Su Zongming, his gaze clear and profound: "Minister Su, I understand your concerns. The official plans and risk considerations are normal. But since I have asked for this scroll, I naturally have my reasons and confidence. I will not joke about my own safety, and even less will I treat the safety of the Xia Nation as a child's play."

Su Zongming was choked up by Lin Muyang's words. He heard the firmness in Lin Muyang's tone, a firmness based on strong self-confidence, not the blind arrogance of a young person. But reasons and confidence? What reasons? What confidence? What confidence could a level 75 Summoner have to challenge a level 165 32-person epic-grade secret realm? This completely exceeded the scope of common sense!

He opened his mouth, wanting to persuade him again, but seeing Lin Muyang's calm yet unquestionable gaze, he swallowed his words back. He suddenly realized that the young man in front of him might be far more mysterious and unfathomable than he had imagined. Those summons that exceeded common sense, that incredible leveling speed, that terrifying combat power shown on the arena that completely did not match his level... Perhaps, he really was hiding some unknown trump cards?

Su Zongming's heart began to struggle violently. On one side was the department's established plan, the official risk considerations, and the potential responsibility to bear; on the other side was an excellent opportunity for his daughter to rapidly increase her strength, and the possibility of establishing a closer connection with a super genius destined to stand at the pinnacle of the world in the future.

More importantly, the absolute confidence revealed under Lin Muyang's calm tone caused a trace of hesitation in his heart—what if what he said was true? What if he really had a way to handle this scroll?

Once this thought emerged, it could no longer be suppressed. Su Zongming thought of Lin Muyang's performance in the Summoner Competition, thought of those ridiculously powerful young ladies summons, thought of the mysterious background that might exist behind him, which even the country could not find a trace of... Perhaps, Lin Muyang really mastered some power or method that transcended common sense, capable of challenging across levels?

Gamble on it?

This thought made Su Zongming's heart pound. He took a deep breath, stared intently into Lin Muyang's eyes, and asked in a deep voice: "Lin Muyang, tell me the truth, what exactly do you want to do with this 【purgatory demon sea】 scroll? How much confidence do you have to ensure nothing goes wrong? I mean, what if... I mean what if, after you go in, you fail to clear it, and even trigger uncontrollable consequences, such as powerful demonic creatures pouring out of the secret realm and endangering reality, who will take responsibility for this? And can you guarantee that this will not happen?"

His questions were sharp and realistic. This involved the bottom line of national security.

Lin Muyang seemed to have expected him to ask this, his expression did not change, and he only said indifferently: "I want it, naturally to clear it. As for confidence..." He paused slightly, seemingly weighing his words, then said slowly, "I do have full confidence. Moreover, I can guarantee that no matter whether I succeed inside or not, no demonic creatures will be able to break through the secret realm and come to the real world to endanger the Xia Nation. This point, I can, no, I guarantee it with my life."

His tone was not impassioned, but carried a resolute power. Especially the last sentence, "I guarantee it with my life," made Su Zongming's heart shake. He could see that Lin Muyang was serious and not just bluffing.

Guaranteeing with his life... Su Zongming chewed on this sentence, looking at Lin Muyang's young but unusually steady face, the balance in his heart finally began to tilt. Such a monstrous genius, someone with a limitless future, daring to guarantee something with his own life—the weight of this was far heavier than any written commitment.

"Alright!" Su Zongming gritted his teeth, as if he had made a great determination, and slapped his thigh heavily, "Since you have spoken to this extent, I, Su Zongming, will believe you once! This 【purgatory demon sea】 scroll, I will go fight for it for you! I will risk my reputation to get it from the department!"

He paused, then added: "However, I must say the ugly things first. I can only try my best to fight for it, I dare not guarantee 100% success. After all, this involves the official established plan, and it's not up to me alone. But I can guarantee you that I will use all my connections and resources to facilitate this matter. At the latest... I will give you an answer within today!"

"Okay." Lin Muyang nodded, not surprised by this result. Su Zongming could sit in the position of Vice Minister not just because of his strength; his means and connections must not be underestimated. With him negotiating, the probability of success was very high.

"Then, our deal is settled." Su Zongming resumed his shrewd appearance and began to hammer out the details, "All the Dungeon and secret realm scroll between level 72 and 100 on the list, 46 in total, including both Sovereign-rank and epic-grade. I will pay for these out of my own pocket, redeeming them from within the department; consider it a 'down payment' and part of the reward for power-leveling. Then, I will do my utmost to get you that level 165 【purgatory demon sea】 epic-level secret realm scroll. In exchange, you are responsible for taking my daughter, Su Qingyue, to level up using these scrolls until her level can no longer keep up with the scrolls or until they are used up. You will split the experience points equally, and you can negotiate the distribution of other loot yourselves; I won't ask about that."

He emphasized specifically, "However, there is one thing: you cannot tell her that I asked you to take her. Just say that you saw her level was appropriate, that you happened to be missing a teammate, or that you just like her—any excuse will do. Just don't mention me."

Lin Muyang's mouth twitched slightly upon hearing this, and he looked at Su Zongming, speechless. A father paving the way for his daughter, but doing it sneakily? Was he afraid of causing his daughter psychological burden, or was there some other story between the father and daughter? However, this was someone else's family business, and Lin Muyang couldn't be bothered to dig deeper.

"Fine, no problem." Lin Muyang readily agreed. It didn't matter who he brought along. As long as there were enough scrolls, bringing Su Qingyue along was just a matter of convenience. As for the reason, it was too easy to find; he could just say that his drop rate for solo-clearing certain secret realm was low and he needed a 'lucky charm' teammate to boost it. He believed Su Qingyue wouldn't refuse.

"Then it's settled!" Su Zongming let out a sigh of relief, a smile appearing on his face as if a heavy burden had been lifted. But he immediately recalled another matter and asked, "By the way, you mentioned earlier that you can no longer fit in this villa and want to find a Constructor to build a new place? Where do you plan to build it? In Zhongnan City, or in the suburbs? I know a few top-tier architectural masters and Barrier Master in the country and can introduce them to you."

Speaking of this, Lin Muyang perked up; this was a plan he had for a long time: "Not in the city. I plan to build it outside the city, about a hundred kilometers or so east of Zhongnan City. There is a waterfall there, and below the waterfall is a fairly large valley plain. The environment is nice, and it's hidden enough."

"Build outside the city?" Su Zongming was shocked. He looked Lin Muyang up and down again, his gaze becoming serious, "Brother, have you thought this through? Outside the city is not like inside the city. Without the year-round protection of the city's barrier, you could encounter wandering high-level Demonic Creatures at any time, or even attacks from some Demonic Creatures tribes hidden in the deep mountains and forests! The danger is much higher than in the city! Even if you want to build it, it must be equipped with the top-tier 'City-Guarding Level' magic barrier. The construction cost and daily maintenance consumption of that thing are astronomical!"

He wasn't fear-mongering. The interior of the Xia Kingdom was relatively safe, but that was only relative to cities and major transportation lines. The vast wilderness, especially the inaccessible mountains, forests, lakes, and swamps, remained a paradise for Demonic Creatures. Occasionally, there were even powerful individuals that slipped out from the cracks of higher-level worlds, or the lairs of certain mythic grade Demonic Creatures.

Establishing a permanent base outside the city required not only powerful defensive strength but also continuous resource input to maintain the operation of the barrier. Many experts liked to live in seclusion outside the city, but without exception, they were either strong enough to deter others on their own or had the backing of a massive organization. Someone like Lin Muyang, who seemed to be alone and yet dared to build a base outside the city, was extremely rare.

Lin Muyang naturally understood Su Zongming's concerns, but he had his own plans. Although Ziyun Mountain Villa was nice, it was in the city after all, with many eyes around. It wasn't convenient for the "non-human" young ladies around him to move freely, and it also restricted some of his secrets.

The valley outside the city was large enough for him to plan training grounds, experimental areas, and even potential small teleportation arrays in the future. As for safety? With Ao Qingyan, a dragon girl who was close to the Nation-Guarding Level and could unleash terrifying combat power after transforming into a dragon, general Demonic Creatures tribes were simply nothing to fear. Furthermore, which of the young ladies under his command was a pushover? Once the new base was built, and he set up high-level defensive formations and barriers redeemed from the National Treasury or potentially collected from the "Oracle" organization in the future, its safety might not be inferior to a city barrier.

"I have my own considerations regarding the safety issue." Lin Muyang didn't explain much, just said calmly, "Minister Su just needs to help me introduce a reliable Constructor and Barrier Master. I will discuss the specific requirements with them in detail. As for the cost, it's not a problem."

Seeing Lin Muyang's firm attitude, Su Zongming stopped trying to persuade him. Everyone had their own secrets and trump cards; if Lin Muyang dared to do this, he must have something to rely on. He nodded: "Alright, since you've decided, I won't say anything more. Leave the Constructor and Barrier Master to me; I guarantee I'll find you the best ones. Once you've settled the matter of the secret realm scroll on your end, I'll help you contact them."

"Thank you." Lin Muyang thanked him sincerely. Su Zongming had indeed been a huge help this time, not only providing a massive amount of leveling resources but also potentially securing a key high-level fire-attribute secret realm ticket, and now he had even agreed to help solve the construction issue. He noted this favor.

"Haha, no need to be polite, this is mutually beneficial." Su Zongming laughed, his mood clearly much more relaxed. The deal was reached, his daughter's future was secured, and he had established a more solid relationship with this "future star," Lin Muyang. This trip was worth it.

The two chatted briefly for a few more sentences, and then Su Zongming rose to leave; he had to go to the department immediately to arrange the matter of the 【purgatory demon sea】 scroll. Lin Muyang walked him to the door.

Watching Su Zongming's retreating figure, a trace of anticipation flashed in Lin Muyang's eyes. If everything went smoothly, he would be able to get those 46 mid-to-high-level secret realm scroll, as well as that crucial 【purgatory demon sea】 within the day!

"46 scrolls between level 72-100... Even if I take Su Qingyue along and split half the experience, it's enough for me to rush to level 80, or even higher." Lin Muyang calculated in his heart. He had been sweeping the National Treasury recently, but could only get a few secret realm scroll at most each day, and often there were shortages. Su Zongming providing dozens at once was a godsend, which would allow his level to skyrocket like a rocket.

More importantly, that 【purgatory demon sea】. Level 165, 32-person epic scale, extreme fire-attribute environment... This was simply a Nirvana treasure land prepared for Feng Ling! As long as he could clear it, the high-level fire-attribute equipment and materials harvested would definitely allow Feng Ling's strength to reach a new level, and might even directly trigger the next Nirvana!

However, to enter and effectively clear this secret realm, there was one more problem to solve—the level gap. He was currently level 75, a full 90 levels away from level 165! With such a large level gap, even if he could rely on his God-Tier Aura and the powerful cross-level fighting abilities of the young ladies, according to the general rules of this world, killing monsters that were too far above his own level would result in a significant reduction in experience gain. Most importantly, it might not drop equipment, or the drop rate would be extremely low.

"I need to find someone around level 165 and have Elabess simulate them..." Lin Muyang pondered. As long as he found a female target around level 165 and had Succubus Maiden Elabess simulate her form, he could use her as a teammate to level out the party's average level, thereby bypassing the level detection mechanisms of certain Dungeon and ensuring that he could obtain normal experience and drops after killing monsters. He had already verified that this method was effective in previous Dungeon.

"Finding a candidate isn't hard..." Lin Muyang thought of Su Qingyue's father, Su Zongming. He was an expert at level 170-180, and the department he belonged to must have female members who met the criteria. Or, search through the network of the "Oracle" organization? But that might expose some information. It was best to go through Su Zongming and borrow one under the pretext of "needing a high-level teammate to assist in opening a special secret realm." Anyway, Su Zongming needed his help now, so he probably wouldn't refuse this small favor.

"Once the scrolls are in hand, I'll contact Su Zongming to ask for someone." Lin Muyang made up his mind and turned back to the villa.

Next, it was time to wait for Su Zongming's good news, and to think about how to naturally invite the beautiful homeroom teacher, Su Qingyue, to join his Dungeon-clearing team.

A smile curved on Lin Muyang's lips. No matter what reason he used, surely Teacher Su wouldn't refuse, right? After all, being able to follow him, a cheater, to clear Dungeon, getting experience and equipment until her hands went soft—this kind of good thing was something many people begged for but couldn't get.

Just as Lin Muyang began to plan his grand Dungeon-clearing schedule for the next few days, Su Zongming had already rushed back to the Xia Kingdom's Foreign Action Department, heading straight to find his immediate superior, that Nation-Guarding Level Expert who caused countless overseas forces endless headaches—the "Thousand-Faced Monkey God" Wang Zhuojun.

A Nation-Guarding Level Expert who had caused the American Empire, Japan, Kimchi Country, and others to suffer heavy losses. His talent allowed him to Disguise himself as anyone's appearance, and he could even Disguise as a Demonic Creature; he could mix into Dungeon and secret realm without being seen through by Demonic Creatures!

Not long ago, the "revenge heavenly god" old man from Kimchi Country was taken out by Wang Zhuojun, who had infiltrated in secret!

When Su Zongming explained his purpose, especially when he proposed handing over that precious 【purgatory demon sea】 epic-level secret realm scroll to Lin Muyang, as expected, he was met with a flat refusal and stern reprimand from Wang Zhuojun.

"Nonsense!" Wang Zhuojun slammed the table and stood up. He was currently in the image of an ordinary-looking middle-aged man who wouldn't stand out in a crowd, but his eyes were sharp as a hawk's. "Su Zongming, has your brain been caught in a door? Give that scroll to Lin Muyang? What level is he? Level 75! You want him to fight a level 165 32-person epic-level secret realm? That's going to his death! Or do you want him to keep the scroll as a collector's item? I'm telling you, no way! This scroll is an important strategic resource for the department, the strategy plan has already been initiated, and it is absolutely impossible to hand it over to a green kid to mess around with!"

Su Zongming had long expected this reaction. He wasn't in a hurry. After Wang Zhuojun finished venting his anger, he spoke slowly: "Minister, don't get excited yet, listen to me finish. Lin Muyang is not an ordinary person; you have also seen his performance in the Summoner Competition, those summons..."

"No matter how strong the summons are, there is a limit!" Wang Zhuojun interrupted him, his tone still stern. "Level suppression is an iron law! A 90-level difference, do you know what that means? It means the attributes of the mobs inside might be several times higher than his! Not to mention the BOSS! No matter how powerful his summons are, can they withstand a few hits from a level 165 epic-level BOSS? This is not a question of whether he is a genius or not; this is a question of basic rules! I cannot take the department's important resources, let alone the potential real-world risks, to accompany a kid who doesn't know the immensity of heaven and earth on an adventure!"