186: Chapter 187 The Finals Begin

The rapid consumption of god-tier modification stones made Lin Muyang clarify his next short-term goal—to acquire a large amount of this crucial enhancement resource. To stably and efficiently produce god-tier modification stones, he relied on the effect of his God-Tier Aura [Divine Touch]: a stone was guaranteed to drop every time it triggered. The triggering of this Aura depended on another mythic grade Aura, [Loot Extraction]—when killing monsters, there was a chance their corpses would explode, dealing damage to surrounding enemies, and [Divine Touch] would definitely trigger whenever [Loot Extraction] did.

Therefore, for Lin Muyang, the efficiency of obtaining god-tier modification stones was directly linked to the number of monsters he killed. The more monsters there were, the more times [Loot Extraction] would trigger, and the more times [Divine Touch] would take effect, naturally causing the drop rate of modification stones to soar. As for the strength of the monsters or the grade of the secret realm, those became secondary factors. As long as there were many monsters, even in ordinary, difficult, or elite-level secret realms, the output efficiency of quickly and massively clearing mobs could be higher than spending time and effort on a high-grade secret realm with a limited number of monsters.

Thus, over the next few days, Lin Muyang temporarily set aside his plans for exploring high-grade, high-difficulty secret realms and instead focused on collecting and conquering secret realm scrolls known for their large capacity and "Sea of Monsters" scale.

These secret realms ranged from ordinary to epic-grade, with a wide span of levels, but their common characteristic was an incredible number of monsters, often appearing in the form of "waves," "beast tides," or "insect swarms." For ordinary Class Transferee teams, such secret realms tested their sustained combat capability, area-of-effect clearing power, and team coordination; a slight lapse could lead to being overwhelmed by the endless monsters. But for Lin Muyang and the young ladies, this was simply a tailor-made "grinding paradise" and "modification stone mine."

Lin Muyang led the young ladies like an efficient harvester, sweeping through one secret realm after another. In the face of absolute attribute suppression and powerful area-of-effect skills, the so-called "Sea of Monsters" turned into a sea of experience and materials. the young ladies each showcased their unique talents: as Ao Qingyan's dragon roar sounded, she performed Ten Thousand Swords Returning to the Ancestor, and sword qi fell like rain, covering several miles; as Elabess's Abyssal Demonic Flame swept out, it burned mountains and boiled seas, turning swaths of monsters into ashes; Seraphina utilized Shadow Traverse, and wherever she passed, monsters fell silently in heaps; Lilia used Rain of Life and Wrath of Nature alternately, serving as both a soothing rain of healing and a storm of destruction; the other young ladies also demonstrated the power of their newly acquired mythic grade equipment and skills, clearing monsters with terrifying efficiency.

The explosions from [Loot Extraction] and the rainbow-colored light of [Divine Touch] rose and fell in the secret realms, weaving together into a unique harvest symphony. Every time the rainbow light shone, it meant at least one god-tier modification stone had safely landed in Lin Muyang's pocket. Although killing the mobs and final bosses of these lower-grade secret realms basically didn't drop any high-level equipment or skill books, the continuous stream of experience points and the stable output of god-tier modification stones already made Lin Muyang very satisfied.

In just a few short days, the number of god-tier modification stones in Lin Muyang's storage space grew at a speed visible to the naked eye, quickly making up for previous consumption and even starting a new accumulation. the young ladies' levels also steadily rose under the efficient gain of experience; although they were still some distance from leveling up, the accumulated experience points were already quite substantial.

While Lin Muyang was immersed in his stone-grinding endeavor, the discussion in the outside world about the "Oriental White Divine Dragon" had already spread like wildfire across the global internet, becoming the hottest and most controversial topic.

That video clip captured by an American Empire satellite—which, though processed, still showed the dragon's majesty in a heart-shaking way—along with the rumors that "multiple experts and geniuses from the Black Night Alliance were suspected to have been insta-killed by the divine dragon," was like a giant boulder thrown into a calm lake, stirring up massive waves. Despite the American Empire official and the Black Night Alliance's best efforts to deny it, blur the details, and even try to ban related news, such a level of news simply couldn't be suppressed in today's world where information permeates everything. Video clips from various angles, analysis posts, and speculation threads popped up like bamboo shoots after a rain.

"It's confirmed! The Oriental Divine Dragon really exists! It's not just a myth or legend!"

"This power... is too terrifying! Look at those water swords; I feel like they could easily tear through warship armor!"

"Is it a wild super monster? Or has it been tamed? Or is it... a summon?"

"It's definitely a summon! It clearly left under control at the end! How could a wild monster be so obedient? And looking at its movement patterns, it clearly had a strong sense of purpose."

"To be able to summon a divine dragon... how strong must this Summoner be? Epic-grade? legendary-grade? A mythic grade talent?"

"Latest inside scoop: there was an abnormal energy reaction near the incident site earlier, suspected to be a high-level secret realm appearing and then disappearing. The people from the Black Night Alliance were there for that..."

"The more I think about it, the scarier it gets! Could it be that the owner of that divine dragon solo cleared a high-level secret realm and then wiped out the Black Night Alliance people on the way?"

"The Black Night Alliance took a huge loss this time; I heard several core members died, along with a batch of genius seeds."

Class Transferee forums, social platforms, and news media worldwide were all discussing this matter. The debate over the image and strength of "Dragons" between the East and West was sparked once again, with countless people arguing whether the Oriental Divine Dragon was stronger or the Western Dragon was more powerful. Some even linked this incident with various recent mysterious events and the rise of geniuses, trying to find the connection behind it all.

Among them, the ones under the most pressure were undoubtedly the Xia Country official and the Black Night Alliance.

The Black Night Alliance had suffered heavy losses and was fuming with rage, yet they couldn't even find a trace of their enemy. They could only vent their frustration through investigation and pressure. They continuously pressured Xia Country through diplomatic channels, hinting that the white divine dragon was related to Xia Country, demanding an explanation, and even asking them to hand over the "murderer" or the "dragon controller." Their logic was simple: the Oriental Divine Dragon is a cultural totem of Xia Country; for such a powerful creature to suddenly appear and suspectly kill people from the American Empire, Xia Country was to blame and must take responsibility.

However, the Xia Country official was also completely baffled. Nation-Guarding Level Experts like Sword Saint Liu Qingtian were urgently summoned for a meeting. Looking at that video, they also stared at each other in confusion.

"This... is really a divine dragon? A living one?" one Nation-Guarding Level Expert rubbed his chin, his eyes filled with shock and incomprehension.

"Looking at its form, majesty, and the power to control seawater, it is extremely similar to the true dragons recorded in ancient texts and folklore, but... this is just too incredible." Another elder shook his head.

"The key is, where did it come from? Is it wild? Or... is it really a summon of some hidden expert we don't know about? Or perhaps a new hidden class related to dragons?" Zhou Wenyuan analyzed with a frown.

"If it really is a summon..." Liu Qingtian spoke slowly, his finger unconsciously tapping the table, his gaze deep, "don't you think this style of doing things looks a bit familiar?"

Everyone was stunned, then fell into thought.

"Old Liu, you mean... 'that person'?" Zhou Wenyuan raised an eyebrow.

"And that kid who's been in the spotlight lately, Lin Muyang." Liu Qingtian didn't answer directly but said slowly, "The time of the incident on the High Seas overlaps with the time Lin Muyang left the public eye. Moreover, isn't summoning powerful, unprecedented summons exactly his characteristic? Although he previously summoned humanoid young ladies, who can guarantee he doesn't have a summon that can transform into a divine dragon? Or that one of his summons possesses a dragon bloodline and can perform such a transformation?"

A silence fell over the conference room. This guess was bold, but not entirely impossible. The potential and mystery Lin Muyang had displayed had long exceeded conventional understanding. summons with heaven-defying combat power, a horrifying growth speed... if linked to that previous mysterious solo clearing genius and now the appearance of the white divine dragon... many clues seemed to point faintly in the same direction.

"But all of this is just speculation; there is no evidence." A more cautious expert spoke up. "Furthermore, if it really is Lin Muyang, and he possesses such combat power, why would he hide it? And why would he go to the High Seas and clash with the Black Night Alliance?"

"Perhaps for secret realm resources, or perhaps for other reasons. As for hiding... the tree that stands out in the forest will be destroyed by the wind. He grows too fast and is too sharp; properly hiding his trump cards is a wise move," Liu Qingtian said. "Of course, all of this is just our speculation. Before obtaining definite evidence, we cannot jump to conclusions, let alone reveal a single word to the outside. As for the pressure from the American Empire and the Black Night Alliance... hmph, let them investigate. Without evidence, everything is just empty talk. Is our Xia Country supposed to be afraid of them?"

Ultimately, the Xia Country official maintained a tough yet vague attitude toward the outside world: expressing concern over the dragon incident while resolutely refuting the American Empire's groundless accusations, demanding they provide concrete evidence, and questioning what they were sneakily doing in the High Seas in the first place. Meanwhile, internally, they strengthened the confidentiality of information regarding Lin Muyang and secretly increased the level of protection for him.

While global public opinion was in an uproar and undercurrents were surging among various forces, Jiang Chenyu and Jiang Yuner, who were on the edge of the incident's vortex, were even more shocked beyond measure after learning more detailed inside information.

"Sis... do you think the level 82 legendary secret realm the Black Night Alliance found could be the same scroll we gave to 'Oracle'?" Inside the Yingjiang Sect guild base in Beiyu City, Jiang Chenyu lowered his voice, his face full of disbelief.

Jiang Yuner's beautiful face also carried a look of gravity as she nodded slightly: "The time, location, secret realm level, and scale all match... how could there be such a coincidence in the world? It's nine times out of ten the same one."

"Then... that white divine dragon, and the matter of killing the Black Night Alliance experts..." Jiang Chenyu swallowed hard.

"I'm afraid it's also inseparable from 'Oracle'." Jiang Yuner's beautiful eyes sparkled with an unusual light. "In fact, I suspect that secret realm was solo cleared by the 'Oracle' organization!"

[part:gemini-3.1-flash-lite]

"Solo clearing... legendary-grade?" Jiang Chenyu gasped. Although he had guessed as much, hearing his sister state it so bluntly still made him feel dizzy. What kind of strength would that require? A legendary mythic grade expert? Or even higher?

"Furthermore, according to the fragmented intelligence we obtained, when the Black Night Alliance first probed the secret realm, there was only one person inside. Later, the secret realm disappeared, a divine dragon appeared, and the Black Night Alliance members were completely wiped out..." The more Jiang Yuner analyzed it, the more she felt this speculation approached the truth. "Everything connects. An expert sent by the Oracle organization solo cleared a legendary-grade secret realm, happened to be spotted by the Black Night Alliance, and was then dealt with in passing. It's just unexpected that the divine dragon was caught on satellite when it appeared..."

The siblings looked at each other in silence, both seeing deep awe in the other's eyes. Solo clearing a legendary-grade secret realm, wiping out the elites of the Black Night Alliance with a wave of a hand, summoning a divine dragon from mythology... The tip of the iceberg displayed by the Oracle organization had already far exceeded the limits of their imagination. This was no mere secret organization; it was clearly a divine force walking among mortals!

"We... must latch onto this powerful ally!" Jiang Chenyu clenched his fists, his eyes burning with intensity.

"Correct. Continue to mobilize all our power to search for high-quality secret realm scrolls, especially those with large capacity! This is the only way we can help right now, and the best way to express our sincerity!" Jiang Yuner also made up her mind. Being able to connect with such an organization was a massive opportunity for them, and even for the entire Yingjiang Sect guild!

In the days that followed, Lin Muyang passed the time steadily between "Loot Extraction" and "development." Every day, nourished by growth-type Auras like [Muscle Relaxation and Circulation], his total attributes steadily increased by over 150 points. While it didn't seem like much for a single day, the cumulative effect over time was extremely impressive. More importantly, with an ample supply of god-tier modification stones, the mythic grade equipment on him and the young ladies was further strengthened, and their attributes were raised to another level.

The "tears of the angel" produced by Elena also entered a period of high yield. Perhaps due to her strength increasing, her good mood, or increased proficiency, the little angel now "cried" once, and the number of "tears of the angel" condensed from her tears stabilized at five or six, with a total daily output reaching fifteen to twenty! Nourished by these precious god-tier items, the talents of the young ladies finally successfully broke through from sub-god level to Demigod Level! They were only one step away from entering the god-tier realm, same as Lin Muyang. However, this final step seemed to require some special opportunity or realization; it could not be achieved simply by relying on "tears of the angel," and there was currently no clue how to proceed.

Even so, with all members having Demigod Level talents, combined with a full set of strengthened mythic grade equipment and skills, the strength of the young ladies under Lin Muyang's command had reached a terrifying level. In terms of individual combat power alone, the first-tier young ladies like Ao Qingyan, Elabess, Seraphina, and Gui Wanwan definitely possessed the capital to confront head-on and even defeat ordinary Nation-Guarding Level Experts! Lilia's strategic support capabilities, Su Daji's magic immunity domain, Elena's healing... combined together, it was a terrifying force capable of making any faction tremble.

Against this backdrop, the final chapter of the Summer Nation Summoner Competition—the National Finals—finally kicked off.

On the morning of the competition, Lin Muyang and the young ladies were still enjoying a leisurely breakfast at their home in Zhongnan City, showing no signs of nervousness about participating in the highest-level national tournament finals. It wasn't until less than an hour remained before the competition started that Lin Muyang leisurely began to check the specific schedule and opponent information.

As the champion of Jiangnan Province, he enjoyed the privilege of direct entry into the National Top 32, without needing to participate in the preliminary qualifying rounds. The other two contestants who came from Jiangnan City, including his acquaintance Gu Shuanglin, had to start from the qualifying rounds. A few days ago, the qualifying rounds ended; the other contestant from Jiangnan City unfortunately lost, and only Gu Shuanglin, relying on her outstanding strength and a bit of luck, successfully broke through the encirclement to join the ranks of the National Top 32. She would join Lin Muyang in representing Jiangnan Province on the final stage of the tournament.

"This year's competition format seems a bit different from previous years." Lin Muyang said while drinking milk, browsing the information on the light screen.

The National Finals were divided into two stages: The first stage was the "Preliminary Points Match." Thirty-two contestants would each send out one summon to enter a super-large mixed arena for an indiscriminate melee. Points were awarded based on the number of kills, assists, and the final survival ranking of the summons. There would be a total of three such melees, and after each match, there would be a short rest and adjustment period based on the points ranking. Only the top eight contestants based on total points from the three melees would advance to the second stage, the elimination tournament. This stage tested the summon's individual combat power, survivability, tactical awareness, and adaptability to a chaotic battlefield, requiring at least three sufficiently powerful summons.

The second stage was the traditional "Five-on-Five Team Elimination Tournament." The eight advancing contestants would draw lots to determine their opponents and engage in one-on-one five-on-five team battles. The winner would advance, and the loser would be eliminated, until the final champion was decided. This tested the contestant's comprehensive summoning ability, team composition, tactical coordination, and on-the-spot command.

"Fight three melees, then win three consecutive team battles, and I can win the championship... The schedule isn't complicated." Lin Muyang rubbed his chin. This format had high requirements for the quantity and quality of summons, especially in the melee stage; if the summons weren't strong enough or if there weren't enough of them, it would be easy to be eliminated early. However, for Lin Muyang, who possessed over a dozen powerful young ladies, this was not a problem at all. He even had to consider whom to send, rather than whether he had anyone to send.

"The officials probably simplified and optimized the format, considering the overall improvement in the participants' level and... my existence, to make the competition more compact and more interesting." Lin Muyang speculated to himself. After all, if it were the same long-winded format as before, facing a "super-spec" contestant like him, it would likely result in a one-sided crushing defeat, and the entertainment value would be greatly reduced.

After finishing breakfast, Lin Muyang slowly stood up. With a thought, several Auras that enhanced speed and concealed his figure were quietly activated. The next moment, he and the young ladies turned into a stream of light that was hard for the naked eye to capture, tearing through the sky at a terrifying speed of hundreds of times the speed of sound, speeding towards the capital located in the north of the Summer Nation—Kyoto.

Meanwhile, in Kyoto, at the Summer Nation Central Martial Arts Stadium. This massive venue, capable of accommodating over 500,000 people, was already packed with people, with waves of sound shaking the heavens. Being able to attend the National Summoner Competition finals in person was an supreme honor and a rare experience for many Summoner professionals and enthusiasts. The huge circular stands were full, and the dense crowd extended to the edge of the horizon.

Thanks to the generally enhanced physical fitness of Class Transferees, even from a distance from the central arena, the audience could see the details with their exceptional eyesight, not to mention the dozens of ultra-high-definition magic projection screens floating around the venue, broadcasting every corner of the arena in real-time.

The air was hot, and the atmosphere was boiling. Countless people waved flags and banners, shouting the names of the contestants they supported. And the focus of all discussions was almost entirely concentrated on two people.

One was the super newcomer who emerged out of nowhere, swept the Provincial Tournament with an invincible posture, and created countless miracles and topics—Lin Muyang. Whether he could continue his myth in the National Finals, where strong competitors were as numerous as clouds, was the biggest suspense.

The other was the dark horse who suddenly rose in this competition, previously unknown, but with equally stunning performance—Hao Qingshan.

Hao Qingshan, nearly forty years old, with a level as high as 187, his profession was the extremely rare and powerful "Abyss Contractor." He had been extremely low-key before, almost never making a move in public, and had never participated in any large-scale competitions. The reason was simple—he had a deep background; his father was Hao Tiangang, the "King of the Northern Town," one of the three Nation-Guarding Level Experts of the Summer Nation! He lacked no resources since childhood, had guidance from famous teachers, and ordinary competition rewards simply could not catch his eye.

However, the champion reward for this Summoner Competition was a mythic grade Summoner skill book, with the effect of permanently increasing the Summoner's summon slots by two! For any Summoner, this was an irresistible temptation, meaning a huge increase in potential and strength! Therefore, including Hao Qingshan, many top-tier Summoners who had long been famous and were usually elusive, all came out of seclusion to sign up for the competition, making the average strength of the participants and the intensity of the competition in this tournament far exceed any previous one!

This also made the championship of this year's finals full of greater variables. Although Lin Muyang was strong, his level was only in the fifties, and compared to veteran top-tier Summoners like Hao Qingshan who were easily level 170 or 180 and had accumulated decades of experience, the gap in level and experience was obvious. Many people had doubts in their hearts: could Lin Muyang's terrifying combat power, which crushed his peers, still create miracles as always when facing these true old monsters, the top existences in the Summer Nation's Summoner world?

In the contestant preparation area, Hao Qingshan, dressed in a black tight-fitting outfit with a cold expression, closed his eyes to rest, turning a deaf ear to the roaring noise around him. Hearing the shouts of "Lin Muyang" from the distant stands, he slowly opened his eyes, a faint arc curling at the corners of his mouth, his eyes filled with scrutiny and absolute confidence.

"Lin Muyang? His talent is indeed amazing, and his future may be limitless. But for now..." He shook his head slightly and whispered to himself, "The championship reward is mine for the taking. This stage is not yet a place for a greenhorn to reign supreme."