303: Chapter 304 The editor isn't that outrageous.

Stepping into the bizarre and fantastical otherworld of Atlantis for the first time, the young ladies were naturally a bit curious. However, Lin Muyang didn't give them much time to observe and adapt. After confirming the immediate surroundings were temporarily safe, he led the team straight to the entrance of the 118-level legendary-rank secret realm, the Shadow Maze, as described by Kandas.

It was a vortex concealed deep within a massive, decaying tree hollow, swirling with dark purple mist. Standing before the entrance, one could feel the cold, eerie energy waves emanating from within, completely different from the Aura of secret realms on Blue Star.

"Let's go in directly," Lin Muyang offered no further explanation and stepped in first. Now, when he brought a team to grind monsters for levels, he no longer had to worry about experience distribution at all. With the bond effect of [Experience Resonance], the experience points gained from monster kills by any team member would be perfectly copied and shared without dilution. This meant the more people he brought, the higher the overall leveling efficiency—provided, of course, the team could handle the corresponding combat intensity.

As Shen Muyao, Gu Shuanglin, Gu Xiaoyu, Tashalin, Chiba Ruri, Su Qingyue, and Gui Wanwan followed Lin Muyang into the secret realm one after another, the scene before their eyes abruptly transformed.

This was a maze constructed from countless massive, smooth, mirror-like black walls. The walls stretched up, their tops unseen, devoid of any cracks or patterns, only reflecting distorted human figures and distant, dim Light Sources. The air carried a faint musty odor mixed with the scent of rusting metal. Underfoot were cold, hard black stone bricks, with faintly glowing blue moss growing in the cracks. The maze's passages were intricate and interconnected, branching in all directions. In the silence, only the subtle echoes of everyone's footsteps and breathing could be heard.

"Is this... the secret realm of another world?" Gu Xiaoyu whispered, her voice sounding particularly clear in the silent maze.

"It feels much more oppressive than secret realms of the same level on Blue Star," Su Qingyue said, gripping her longsword tightly as she quickly entered a combat-ready state.

Lin Muyang didn't say much. He raised his hand, a slight thought stirring in his mind. Several gentle rays of light lit up one after another beside him.

As the lights faded, familiar and breathtakingly beautiful figures materialized. Lilia wore a curious, faint smile; Elabess bowed gracefully; Seraphina's expression was cool and detached; Feng Ling lazily stretched her body; Jialiya stood quietly to the side... Almost all the core young ladies under his command, except those who needed to stay behind in the Eternal Garden or handle other affairs, were summoned at this moment.

For a moment, the originally somewhat spacious maze passage felt a bit crowded. Each young lady, with her unique charm and grace, possessed breathtaking beauty and a distinct temperament. Even though Lin Muyang was accustomed to such sights, looking at the lively group of beauties around him now, he couldn't help but feel a bit dazzled.

"Let's start with the 118-level legendary-grade monsters," Lin Muyang refocused and began assigning tasks. "Elabess, Fina, you two are responsible for the main assault and clearing the monsters. Lilia, focus on healing and status. The rest of you, stand by for now, familiarize yourselves with the environment. Your levels will catch up very quickly."

"Yes, Master," Elabess and Seraphina responded in unison without any hesitation.

Lin Muyang then activated multiple God-Tier Auras, especially the [Tier Reversion] bond, adjusting everyone's Disguise level to 118 to ensure experience gain. Simultaneously, the [Experience Resonance] Aura was fully activated. A pale golden torrent of experience intertwined with a faint purple halo of fundamental comprehension, enveloping everyone present.

"Let's begin," Lin Muyang ordered.

Elabess and Seraphina exchanged a glance and nodded, then struck simultaneously.

Elabess levitated into the air. She held her hands out as if grasping something, and the space at the end of the maze passage ahead abruptly collapsed inward! A pitch-black vortex over fifteen meters in diameter materialized out of thin air, unleashing a terrifying suction force that violently dragged over the shadowy, coalesced Shadow Wanderers roaming in the distance and the Mirror Slicers gliding along the walls!

At the same time, Seraphina waved her slender hand, spreading icy cold. Hundreds of energy flying daggers, thin as cicada wings with blood-colored light shimmering along their edges, condensed before her. The next moment, like an enraged swarm of bees, they shot forth with sharp whistling sounds towards the monsters gathered and struggling within the black hole!

*Swish swish swish—!*

The Blood Shadow Flying Daggers accurately Penetrated the cores of the shadowy monsters one by one, scattering large bursts of shadow fragments and eliciting shrill, mournful howls. Under the dual assault, the monsters fell and dissipated in waves.

And at the very moment of their death—

*Hum!*

Everyone present felt a slight tremor run through their bodies.

A vast, pure, and incredibly warm torrent of energy surged forth without warning from the depths of each person's soul, instantly flooding through their entire beings! It was a massive amount of experience points, perfectly copied and shared with everyone under the effect of [Experience Resonance]!

Immediately after, system notification tones began to flood the minds of everyone except Lin Muyang and the summoned young ladies!

[Ding! Your party has slain a Shadow Wanderer (legendary-grade). You have gained experience points...]

[Ding! Your level has increased to 101! All attributes have increased!]

[Ding! Your party has slain a Mirror Slicer (legendary-grade). You have gained...]

[Ding! Your level has increased to 102!]

[Ding!...]

Shen Muyao, Gu Shuanglin, Gu Xiaoyu, Tashalin, Chiba Ruri, Su Qingyue... gentle white light, representing level-ups, shone upon them one after another! Their experience bars surged at a speed that left them utterly dumbfounded, jumping a huge chunk almost every second or two. Their level numbers skyrocketed upward like unbridled wild horses!

"This... this is..." Tashalin's sapphire-blue eyes were filled with disbelief. Feeling the surge of power within her body, far exceeding any previous level-up, she almost doubted she was dreaming.

"Leveling up this fast?!" Gu Shuanglin covered her mouth, watching the rapidly jumping level number on her attribute panel, her mind blank. It had taken her a full half-month, struggling through several high-difficulty secret realms, to go from level 90 to 99 before. And now, less than a minute after entering this secret realm, she had already gained two levels, and it showed no signs of stopping!

Su Qingyue was relatively calmer, but her hand gripping the sword hilt was slightly pale, betraying her inner turmoil. She looked at Lin Muyang, then at Elabess and Seraphina clearing monsters like cutting grass ahead, finally understanding what Lin Muyang had meant by 'taking you to level up quickly.' This wasn't just fast; it was like strapping into a starship and flooring it!

"This is just too exaggerated..." Su Qingyue murmured to herself, a bitter smile appearing on her usually composed face. She had thought she'd witnessed cheat-like leveling speeds when following Lin Muyang before, but now it seemed that was just child's play. *This* was the cheat codes running at full power.

At this rate, forget a year—in just a few months, or even less, their group's levels could catch up to or even surpass those old monsters in the Atlantis World who had cultivated for centuries! This completely overturned all her previous understanding of leveling up.

"Muyang brother, you're not playing a game, are you? Even a cheat engine isn't this absurd," Lilia, long accustomed to such scenes, teased with a giggle, hugging Lin Muyang's arm. Her own level was steadily increasing too, though not as dramatically as Shen Muyao and the others, it was still far more efficient than normal cultivation.

"Is it possible," Su Qingyue chimed in helplessly from the side, "that even using a cheat engine to farm experience isn't a ten-thousandth as fast as your current efficiency?"

Lin Muyang smiled but didn't respond to the remark. His gaze swept over the area ahead. The first wave of monsters had been cleared. Gui Wanwan acted timely, underworld energy surging. The dissipating shadow fragments coalesced once more, and Shadow Wanderers and Mirror Slicers staggered back to their feet, though their Auras were noticeably weaker than before.

"They've been resurrected?!" Chiba Ruri exclaimed in shock.

"Continue," Lin Muyang signaled to Elabess and Seraphina.

The second round of slaughter began.

The torrent of experience erupted once more.

Shen Muyao and the others' levels continued to skyrocket. 103... 104... 105...

The process of grinding monsters for levels became exceptionally "leisurely" for Lin Muyang and most of the young ladies. Elabess and Seraphina cooperated seamlessly, with terrifyingly high clearing efficiency. Gui Wanwan handled monster resurrection. The others only needed to stand there and absorb experience.

Lin Muyang even retrieved an exquisite set of tables, chairs, and a tea table from his storage space, setting them up in a relatively spacious corner of the maze passage. Lilia immediately understood and went to prepare tea and snacks. Soon, hot tea, pastries, and fruits were laid out.

"Don't just stand there. Come, have a seat, have some tea," Lin Muyang called to everyone. "Elabess and Fina can switch out if they get tired. Anyway, with our skills interconnected now, anyone can take over."

Thus, an utterly bizarre scene unfolded. Deep within the eerie, legendary-grade secret realm maze, a group of stunningly beautiful young ladies sat around exquisite tables and chairs, sipping tea, chatting, and laughing merrily. Not far away, terrifying shadow monsters were being harvested in waves, resurrected, and harvested again, turning into a continuous torrent of experience that flowed into the bodies of everyone present. The white light of level-ups flashed intermittently, intertwining with the colorful energy halos emanating from the young ladies, illuminating the lifeless maze like a dreamscape.

Shen Muyao and the others transitioned from initial shock and bewilderment to gradual numbness, finally relaxing and joining this peculiar tea party. Watching their levels soar like rockets, they felt both absurd and incredibly real.

Outside the secret realm, on the surface of the Atlantis World.

Kandas watched as Lin Muyang led a lively group of beauties into the secret realm vortex, his heart a mix of complex emotions, but he finally breathed a sigh of relief. The less he got involved with this mysterious master's affairs, the better. Right now, the most important thing was preserving his own life.

He didn't dare linger. After confirming nothing was amiss in the surroundings, he immediately turned to leave, preparing to cast a spatial teleportation spell to get far away from this troubled spot and hide in a remote corner. The losses for Stanro City this time were too great—two level 100+ genius teams wiped out, plus an investigator. This was absolutely an earth-shattering event. The old monsters and powerful figures in the city would never let it go; they had probably already set up a dragnet by now. As the sole survivor, if caught, having his soul searched would be the least of his worries.

"I hope this Lord Lin Muyang can really provide cover..." Kandas thought to himself while beginning to trace teleportation runes. "If not, maybe I could consider going to his Blue Star world? It's better than waiting for death here."

However, just as his teleportation spell was about to complete—

*Hum!*

The spatial energy around him abruptly solidified! As if cast into steel, it became incredibly rigid. The half-finished teleportation runes he was tracing instantly crumbled and dissipated!

Kandas's face changed drastically, his heart tightening in an instant! An ambush! And the opponent had set up a high-level spatial Sealing Barrier in advance!

"And just where do you think you're running to?" A cold voice, filled with suppressed fury, came from the shadows ahead.

Immediately after, figures with powerful Auras, all at least level 200 or above, materialized like ghosts from the surrounding woods and behind rocks, surrounding him completely! Twelve of them! The leader was none other than Virgil! His face was livid, his eyes like a beast ready to devour its prey, fixed Deadly on Kandas. Beside him stood two other experts whose Auras were no weaker than his own: a burly man wielding a heavy sword and an old woman shrouded in a black robe—both top-tier combatants ranked among Stanro City's best.

"Kandas, you have some nerve!" Virgil's voice was like a biting wind. "Colluding with outsiders, harming colleagues, causing the deaths of dozens of our city's finest! Speak! Who put you up to this? Where is the murderer now?!"

He took a step forward, his terrifying pressure bearing down on Kandas like a mountain. "This matter has already alerted the envoys from the Holy City. They are on their way to investigate! Confess now, and perhaps you can keep your corpse intact! If you remain obstinate, we'll search your soul and refine your spirit, condemning you to eternal damnation!"

Kandas was almost suffocated by this terrifying pressure. Cold sweat instantly beaded on his forehead, and his legs felt weak. Facing the encirclement of three level 400+ powerhouses and the surrounding, watchful level 200+ elites, his own strength was utterly insufficient. Despair, like a cold serpent, coiled around his heart.

However, in this moment of extreme panic, the contract line connected to Lin Muyang deep within his soul transmitted a faint ripple. It was Lin Muyang actively contacting him!

Kandas's spirits lifted as if he had grabbed the last lifeline. Forcing himself to calm down, he pretended to be panicked and tried to stall for time with excuses, while simultaneously using the soul contract to rapidly relay the critical situation before him to Lin Muyang in the secret realm.