57: Chapter 57 The School Beauty's Blushing

Lin Muyang looked at Zhao Kai, who was curled up in a ball on the ground whimpering, feeling a bit helpless.

He had said to "beat him to death," but that was just talk out of anger; he couldn't actually kill the guy, could he? As annoying as Zhao Kai was, his crimes didn't warrant death. If he really let Lilia use Holy Light or Exorcism, given her terrifying attribute boosts, even a low-tier skill would probably turn this Level 22 minor Swordsman into dust.

Therefore, using physical means to beat him—while it looked pathetic and involved unavoidable physical pain—at least kept him alive. This was Lin Muyang showing mercy and sparing his life.

At this moment, Zhao Kai was mentally collapsing. He could clearly feel the burning pain on his face; even without a mirror, he knew it must have swollen into a pig's head, covered in bruises.

He couldn't figure it out no matter how hard he tried!

He had changed classes over a month ago, possessed the rare A-grade talent [Combo], and had worked hard to reach Level 22. He was even wearing top-tier equipment his family had spent a fortune on. His primary attributes like Strength, Constitution, and Agility—weren't they all over 300 points? Among his peers, he was definitely a top-tier talent!

But what was the result?

He was actually physically beaten by an Elf summoned by a Summoner who had only changed classes a few days ago?!

Is this freaking scientific?! Does this make any sense?!

Zhao Kai naturally didn't know that the Elf Maiden Lilia before him was already Level 27, a full 5 levels higher than him! Not to mention, more than half of the equipment she wore was of Diamond quality—items so rare they were practically unavailable on the market! The rest were all top-tier Platinum equipment!

More terrifyingly, she was also enjoying the boost from Lin Muyang's [Attribute Doubling Aura]! Her Agility attribute was approaching the 2000-point mark! And this was without Lin Muyang activating [Lethal Tempo]; otherwise, her speed would reach an even more inconceivable level.

How could a Level 22 Swordsman, whose attributes were crushed in every aspect, possibly fight back against a high-speed, high-attack violent Priest? The fact that he could endure it without being killed instantly was already thanks to his decent equipment and thick health pool.

“Ugh... stop hitting me, seriously, stop...” Zhao Kai lay on the ground, feeling like every bone in his body had fallen apart. The pain made him grimace, and tears were nearly flowing.

Lilia tilted her head and looked at him, feeling that this guy really didn't have any ability to resist anymore; continuing might actually cause problems. Only then did she reluctantly put away her “murder weapon” staff and skip back to Lin Muyang's side, tilting her small face up as if seeking praise: “Brother Muyang~ Is this enough? He looks like he's about to kick the bucket.”

“Yeah, that's enough,” Lin Muyang nodded. “Consider it a lesson for him, leaving him a way out.”

Even though Lin Muyang told her to stop, Zhao Kai couldn't get up at this point. Feeling countless gazes focused on him, pointing and whispering, the intense sense of shame made him wish he could find a hole to crawl into. He simply steeled himself, closed his eyes, and lay on the ground pretending to be dead, trying to escape this suffocating scene of social death.

However, just then, a concerned voice rang out that almost made Zhao Kai truly cough up blood.

Shen Muyao ran over somewhat nervously. Her gaze went straight past the “dying” Zhao Kai on the ground and landed on Lin Muyang, her tone carrying obvious worry: “Lin Muyang, are you... are you hurt? Are you okay?”

“...”

Lying on the ground pretending to be dead, Zhao Kai felt his chest tighten upon hearing this; he nearly fainted from pure rage!

Dammit!

The one who got beaten to a pulp and is lying here playing dead is me! It's ME!!

And you run over to ask him if he's okay?!

Does he look like he has any problems?! He didn't even lift a finger!!

Never mind Zhao Kai; even Lin Muyang himself was a bit dazed by Shen Muyao's sudden concern. He paused for a moment before pointing at himself with a touch of amusement: “Me? Of course I'm fine.”

Shen Muyao also immediately realized her question was a bit stupid. Seeing Lin Muyang standing there perfectly intact and composed while the actual “victim” lay to the side, two patches of blush instantly flew onto her cheeks, and she lowered her head in embarrassment.

Her rare shy appearance fell into the eyes of the surrounding crowd, immediately causing another wave of low exclamations.

“Wow, the campus belle actually blushed?”

“She's usually cold to everyone; this is the first time I've seen her with that expression...”

“It seems she really treats Lin Muyang differently!”

“Yeah, I'm fine, thanks for the concern.” Lin Muyang confirmed politely once more, then intended to leave this place of trouble. He still had to attend the auction.

“Ah, wait!” Seeing him about to leave, Shen Muyao quickly mustered the courage to speak again, her voice carrying a trace of subtle urgency: “Lin Muyang, are you here to attend today's auction at Hongwu Mall? Um... do you want to go together?”

After she finished, she looked at Lin Muyang expectantly.

“No, I was just passing by.” Lin Muyang flatly rejected her again, using the same reason as before, “I have some other business, I'm leaving now.”

The main reason he insisted on acting alone was to bid for that origin skill book which might cause a struggle. Being with others, especially a celebrity like Shen Muyao, made for too big a target and would easily attract attention, adding unnecessary trouble. While he wasn't afraid of trouble, he didn't want to waste his precious development time. Keeping a low profile and making a fortune in silence was always the best choice.

Thus, he decided to follow his original plan and take Lilia and Elabess through the VIP passage to a private room in the auction hall.

With that, he didn't linger and turned to leave with the two girls.

Before leaving, Lin Muyang paused, seemingly remembering something. He walked slowly over to the old man, Li Zhengshan, who was still shrouded in pale golden light and unable to move.

Under the astonished gazes of everyone, Lin Muyang reached out and casually patted Li Zhengshan's shoulder, like an old friend saying hello!

Although the movement was light, the act itself carried an extremely strong implication!

Li Zhengshan, whose shoulder was being patted, was conscious even though his body couldn't move! His heart was about to explode with rage; a nameless fire rushed straight to his head!

What was his status? He was a well-known figure in Tianhai City, an S-grade Martial Artist over Level 120! Since when did a brat get to pat his shoulder like he was a junior? What an absolute humiliation!

However, no matter how furious he was inside, under that mysterious golden light suppression, he couldn't move a single finger. He could only watch helplessly as Lin Muyang finished the gesture and walked away, leaving behind a back that felt unfathomable.

Lin Muyang turned the corner and entered the VIP passage through the back door of Hongwu Mall, which he was familiar with. He proceeded without obstruction until he entered the private VIP room prepared for him at the auction, finally breathing a sigh of relief.

He had originally just wanted to attend an auction quietly. Who would have thought that just because Shen Muyao looked at him a few more times, it would cause such a mess?

And his choice to show his true face today without using his invisibility was also carefully considered. He needed to distinguish his normal identity, 'Lin Muyang', from the anonymous genius identity, 'Divine Concealment'. If he entered the VIP room while invisible, wouldn't that be equivalent to telling Hong Wuliang, the head of Hongwu Mall, that he was the mysterious person who could solo Dungeons while invisible?

After this incident, Lin Muyang had essentially succeeded in creating three different identity images:

The first was the normal identity of 'Lin Muyang'. Now this identity had exposed a so-called 'powerful background'; he believed this would deter many petty people and reduce a lot of unnecessary trouble.

The second was the 'Divine Concealment' identity. This identity represented the super genius who could turn invisible and solo Dungeons right after changing classes, with movements so mysterious that no one could find him.

The third was the 'Divine Form' identity that had briefly appeared in Tianhai City. This identity was even more mysterious and unfathomable, leaving many top experts discussing it without knowing its true nature.

These three identities, whether in terms of displayed abilities, behavior patterns, or social relations, were completely different. Almost no one would link them to the same person.

In this way, Lin Muyang could maximize his acquisition of development resources while perfectly hiding the secret of his god-level talent, avoiding being targeted by certain forces before he could grow, thus smoothly developing until the day he was truly invincible in the world!

...

Meanwhile, outside Hongwu Mall, watching Lin Muyang's departing back as he left without looking back, Shen Muyao once again felt a deep sense of frustration.

But the coldness and stubbornness in her personality became her motivation at this moment. She wouldn't easily give up on something she had decided. Since she had set her sights on Lin Muyang, she wouldn't be discouraged by one or two rejections.

On the contrary, the tip of the iceberg Lin Muyang showed today—whether it was that unfathomable 'background' or the crushing strength of his Elf summon—gave her a strong sense of urgency.

She could see that Lin Muyang's growth speed far exceeded her imagination. If she didn't work hard to become stronger, she might soon not even have the right to look up at his back.

Just the strength the Elf Lilia had shown was enough to completely crush her. It had only been a few days since the class change; how far had Lin Muyang actually grown?

No one knew the answer.

The surrounding crowd was still discussing everything that had just happened, the core of the topic naturally being Lin Muyang's incredible strength.

“It's only been a few days since the class change... and he actually thrashed a genius from Tianhai City?”

“And he let a Priest do the thrashing physically! That's too ridiculous!”

“What does this show? It shows that Lin Muyang's own strength has probably long surpassed that Zhao Kai!”

Meanwhile, on the top floor of Hongwu Mall, in a luxuriously decorated office.

Hong Wuliang was chatting with Su Qingyue, who was preparing to sell some high-level equipment she no longer needed to Hongwu Mall.

They had also witnessed the entire process on the street below through the window.

Even with their experience and strength, when they saw Lilia violently beating Zhao Kai and that mysterious golden light easily imprisoning Li Zhengshan, their faces showed expressions of disbelief.

A trace of extreme surprise flashed in Su Qingyue's cold eyes. Her red lips parted slightly as she whispered a doubt-filled exclamation:

“How on earth did this kid do it? He couldn't have some kind of cheat, could he?”