56: Chapter 56 Is this a priest?

When that pale golden light, acting like invisible shackles, firmly imprisoned the old man from Tianhai City in place, making him unable to move, the entire academy backstreet first fell into a dead silence, and then, like a pot of boiling water, it suddenly exploded!

"Whoa—!"

The earth-shaking clamor and the sound of countless people gasping for air intertwined.

Everyone stared with wide eyes, looking in disbelief at the "golden statue" that maintained a hand-raising posture with an expression of shock and anger frozen on its face. The terrifying Aura the old man had erupted with just moments ago still left them with lingering fears, yet in the blink of an eye, this seemingly invincible expert had been controlled in such an inconceivable manner?

"My god... did I see that right? That old guy is frozen?"

"Nonsense! Can't you see he can't even roll his eyes? What skill is this? I've never heard of it!"

"That's a big shot over level a hundred! A bodyguard from Tianhai City! And just like that... he was instantly controlled?"

"Too ridiculous! Simply unbelievable!"

Whispers spread like a tide, and every face was written with shock and confusion. They had originally thought Lin Muyang was bluffing and would be taught a lesson by the old man's thunderous methods in the next moment. Who could have imagined the situation would reverse like this?

Just then, Lin Muyang's calm voice rang out again, clearly reaching everyone's ears: "Did you really think you're the only one with a backer?" He paused, his gaze indifferently sweeping over the crowd as if stating a simple fact, "Behind me, naturally, there is someone as well."

These words were like a drop of water falling into a pan of boiling oil, instantly causing an even greater sensation!

"Holy crap! It's confirmed! As expected, there's a big shot acting from behind the scenes!"

"I knew it! How could a newly awakened Summoner have this kind of ability? Turns out there's an expert behind him!"

"How powerful must this backer be? To be able to suppress an expert from Tianhai City at will!"

"I suspected it last time! Ye Cheng's gang inexplicably went bald and did that... thing in public, it must be related to the person behind him!"

"The fun is really starting now; this kid from Tianhai City has kicked a real steel plate!"

Lin Muyang's casual remark successfully shifted everyone's attention to a fictional "hidden powerhouse." This explanation was perfectly reasonable, and no one doubted it—after all, a rookie Summoner possessing such heaven-defying control ability was completely beyond their scope of understanding. Only the explanation of a "mysterious expert backing him" could account for this incredible scene.

At this moment, the person most terrified and bewildered in the field was none other than the genius youth from Tianhai City, Zhao Kai.

He watched helplessly as his greatest reliance—Li Zhengshan, a bodyguard over level 120 with the A-rank class "Martial Artist"—stood frozen in place like he was under a binding spell, his body glowing with golden light, unable to emit even a shred of energy fluctuation.

The reason he dared to be so unscrupulous and overbearing in Zhongnan City was precisely because of his guardian, Li Zhengshan. With Elder Li present, he was confident he could crush any peer in this small city and didn't even fear interference from local powers.

But he never dreamed that just by trying to pick on a seemingly easy "soft persimmon" to vent the frustration of being suppressed in the genius-filled Tianhai City, he would kick such a hard steel plate!

Elder Li was actually suppressed by the opponent's unknown method in an instant, left with no power to fight back?!

Standing in the back, Shen Muyao, who had been prepared to step forward, was also completely stunned. Her red lips were slightly parted, and her beautiful eyes were filled with extreme shock and a trace of indiscernible, complex emotion.

She had just been ready to recklessly block for Lin Muyang, attempting to use her family's name to temporarily stabilize Zhao Kai, but she didn't expect the development of events to completely exceed her expectations.

Since when did Lin Muyang have such a powerful backer?

An inexplicable emotion spread through her heart, both a sense of relief that his crisis was resolved and an indescribable sense of loss. She realized she seemed to have never truly understood this seemingly ordinary schoolmate. He had become mysterious and powerful, as if he had suddenly moved very, very far away from her.

...

In the field, once Lin Muyang confirmed the Astral Stasis Aura effect was stable and that the old man named Li Zhengshan could not pose a threat for the time being, he turned his gaze toward the already terrified Zhao Kai.

It was time for a reckoning.

"Lilia," he waved his hand lightly, his tone flat but carrying an unquestionable weight, "it's your turn. Give him a memory he won't forget; let him know who he shouldn't provoke."

Upon hearing this, the Elf Maiden Lilia's exquisite little face immediately lit up with a mixture of pride and excitement. She puffed out her chest, her crisp voice carrying a full sense of protectiveness: "Except for This Princess, no one is allowed to bully Brother Muyang! You villain, how dare you cause trouble for Brother Muyang, see how I teach you a lesson!"

These words were spoken with great momentum, carrying a childish dominance. Hearing this, the corner of Lin Muyang's mouth couldn't help but twitch slightly, and he helplessly complained in his heart: This girl, she makes it sound like she bullies me often... clearly, she's the one who's always being "bullied."

A dozen meters away, Zhao Kai's face turned pale and then flushed upon hearing Lilia's words. He suppressed the fear in his heart and looked around with blustering courage, trying to find the "hidden senior expert" while shouting loudly, "A duel between juniors! A senior wouldn't disregard their status to intervene, right?!"

He seemed to be shouting at thin air, but in reality, he was speaking to the imagined "hidden powerhouse," hoping to use the rules of the world to bind the opponent and gain a slim chance of survival. After all, if he only had to face Lin Muyang and his summon, Zhao Kai still harbored a sliver of hope.

He took a deep breath, trying to regain his momentum and focus his attention on Lilia. He stared fixedly at the exquisite staff in Lilia's hand, which looked more like a work of art, comforting himself: "It's just a tiny rookie Summoner, and the summon is an Elf Priest! How much combat power can a Priest have? As long as I'm not targeted by that weird control skill, with my A-rank talent 'Combo,' I might not be without a chance!"

His A-rank talent, Astral Stasis, had the effect that every normal attack had a high 50% chance to trigger a Combo, with a maximum of three consecutive attacks. This meant that with good luck, one of his strikes could equal the damage of four attacks from others, making it extremely terrifying in Dungeon output.

"Take this!"

Zhao Kai shouted to embolden himself, his longsword flourishing into a flower of steel. He pushed off with his feet, his figure rushing forward, the sword tip pointing straight at Lilia! He had made up his mind to first resolve this seemingly healing support Elf with lightning speed, and then slowly deal with Lin Muyang!

However, in Lilia's eyes, his movements were like a slow-motion film.

"Slow, too slow!" Lilia curled her small lips, her amethyst-like eyes filled with undisguised disdain. "Your movements are full of openings, and your power is scattered. You dare to be arrogant with just this much skill? Fighting you really lowers This Princess's standards!"

Before her voice had even faded, her figure had already disappeared from the spot.

Zhao Kai only felt a blur before his eyes as that purple figure, like a ghost and at a speed he couldn't comprehend, easily and elegantly evaded his confident first strike, then the second, the third... even a small-area sword skill he released in haste was easily bypassed by her with a nearly dance-like grace.

"What?!" Zhao Kai's pupils shrank, his heart filled with horror.

Before he could make his next move, Lilia appeared at his side as if teleporting. She didn't use any flashy magic, but simply and seemingly casually raised the gem-encrusted staff in her hand and struck down at his shoulder.

That movement didn't look like an attack; it looked more like disciplining a disobedient child.

But it was this seemingly effortless strike—

Boom!

A dull, tooth-aching thud resounded!

Zhao Kai only felt an indescribable, terrifying force come from his shoulder. It didn't feel like being struck by a staff; it felt more like being slammed into by a stampeding giant magical beast! Every bone in his body groaned under the unbearable weight at that moment, and intense pain instantly flooded his nerves.

"Argh—!"

He screamed, his legs completely unable to support this force. With a "thud," he was slammed face-first into the ground. His cheek made intimate contact with the rough pavement, leaving him seeing stars and nearly knocking the wind out of him.

???

At this moment, the entire scene fell into a weird silence once again, followed by an even more fervent clamor!

"Did I... did I see that right? A Priest hitting someone with a staff?"

"One staff strike... knocked down an A-rank talent Swordsman? What the hell kind of Priest is this?" "Ridiculous! Absolutely ridiculous! What kind of monstrous strength is this?"

"Brother, you're looking at it like an amateur. The class doesn't matter; what matters is the absolute suppression of attributes! This Elf girl's strength attribute is probably higher than a Berserker of the same level!"

"Monsters... are Lin Muyang's summons all monsters?"

"What bullshit genius swordsman? In the face of true strength, he's just a clown!"

Under the countless gazes that looked at her like she was a monster, Lilia clearly had no intention of letting Zhao Kai go. Adhering to Lin Muyang's instruction to "give him a memory he won't forget," she swung that "murder weapon"—the exquisite staff that formed a sharp contrast with her petite frame—and struck the prone Zhao Kai again and again.

"Whack!" "Bang!" "Thud!"

The sounds of the staff hitting flesh rang out densely, interspersed with Zhao Kai's pig-slaughtering screams and his gradually weakening pleas for mercy.

"Ah! Stop hitting me!" "It hurts so much! Stop!" "Little sister... no, Princess! I know I was wrong! I really know I was wrong! Spare me!" "Wuwu... not the face... ah!"

In no time, Zhao Kai was black and blue. His originally handsome face was now swollen like a pig's head, his magnificent swordsman attire was tattered and covered in dust, and he curled up on the ground shivering. Where was there any trace of the arrogant genius from before? Only endless wretchedness and misery remained.

His heart was filled with regret and collapse. What kind of Priest is this? Whose Priest uses a staff for physical transcendence?! This strength attribute is at least several times his! What exactly is Lin Muyang's background? Even his summons are this freaky!